Jatra Pathe - the Travelogue

Deshe Bideshe 24 - Badrinath & Valley of Flowers

2011-12-03T14:11:00.037+05:30

Devmitra:

"There is no way you can go trekking with a broken shoe! We will have to cancel the trip" said Shantanu. I paused my obviously futile efforts to stick the dangling sole to the rest of the shoe and looked up at hubby dearest in dismay - he couldn't be serious! After we had come this far, we would now have to give up on the trek simply because I broke my shoe? Yes, his words did make sense, there was no way I could go hiking for 3 kms. on Himalayan terrain dragging along a torn sole, but surely there had to be another way out...or was it gonna be the case of "for want of a shoe, the trip was lost"?

But hold on, this is no way to tell a story. Wise raconteurs recommend that a story be a started right at the beginning and that's what I should do now, though it is kinda difficult pinpointing the start to this trip of ours to Badrinath & Valley of Flowers. Maybe it all started with my selfish desire years ago to earn some points as a dutiful daughter by taking my parents on a pilgrimage...or maybe it was Shantanu's admiration for the magnificient Himalayas and the serene calm that they offer that triggered the whole thing. Or had the interesting tales we heard from Anuja and Bani somehow penetrated our sub-concious and silently goaded us on this journey...or maybe it was our realization that to get to any holiday spot from Hyderabad, we would need to take atleast a week off, so why not Badrinath? Whatever it was, July 2011 found us planning a trip to this important pilgrimage spot in India along with my parents. With a desire to add a little adventure to a spiritual sojourn, we decided to include a visit to the Valley of Flowers, even though it meant an additional 3 - 4 days; after all, it was not everyday that we were gonna come this far. Of course, this was only for the two of us, Ma and Bappi could use this time to catch up on their rest. We chalked out a tentative itinerary and then approached the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (http://www.gmvnl.com/) for a customized tour that would suit this plan. After all, we thought, it is better we have some local support on a trip that far into a region that none of us are familiar with. Also it was the monsoon season and the area is notorious for landslides during this time, so we figured it would be safer to have the assistance from a government backed organization more familiar with these any such obstacles that may come about. A word of caution about planning trips through GMVNL, maybe the first of many - please be prepared for some running around, a few trips to their local office (they are located at Begumpet in Hyderabad), the visible absence of techno-enablement and many phone calls before you are finally able to finalize your plan. It was only due to the co ordination among Bappi, Shantanu and me that we were able to set off for Delhi by the Sec-bad - Nizamuddin Duronto express on Aug 28, 2011.

The Duronto series of trains is a special category of trains in India that offer the advantage of non - stop travel (except for technical halts) over long distances. Thus our train trip to Delhi that usually takes almost 27 hours was reduced to 21 hours flat! Also since there were four of us, we chose to travel by AC First Class thus having an entire cabin to ourselves. Of course, we did not take into account the relentless and (by our skimpy standards) excessive spread of food that was provided including lunch as soon as the train rolled out of the Secunderabad railway station even though it was 1:30 in the afternoon. It was a good thing that we had'nt eaten so that we were able to do full justice to the meal provided (including Bappi who had eaten lunch at home) - soup, rotis, pulao, daal, paneer curry, salad etc. and for dessert - bananas and ice cream! Another first for any travel by Indian Railways - the manager of the service provider came & introduced himself to us and assured us of the best possible help while wishing us a safe journey! Now that's what I call customer delight! Our request that a non - functioning light be fixed was attended to almost immediately and all the bearers seemed to go overboard in their courtesy and service. Evening brought in tea and not just tea - a complete tray laden with maaza, samosa, kachori, sandwich, sweet, chocolate, fried cashews and then some tea! Dinner was served by 8:30 (when Bappi exclaimed that it was too early, the man interjected that it was actually late!) - soup, parathas and the usual spread with the addition of gulab jamuns. And when we requested that they take the parathas off our plates, like any good host the server lightly goaded us to eat assuring us that we would enjoy. More than ample food, a good bed and great company - what else could one ask for on a long distance train journey? The train was about 30 minutes late as it rolled into Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station the next morning around 11 am. A short cab drive brought us to the New Delhi Railway station where the waiting room seemed to bursting at its seams. We managed to find some place to sit and place our luggage but were reluctant to step out for lunch; thanks to the service on Duronto, our hunger was more than satiated after breakfast and the humid heat outside drove us to seek whatever comfort the struggling air conditioners in the waiting room offered. After a wait of about 2 hours, we walked down to our connecting train to Haridwar - the Jana Shatabdi.

As the train rolled into Haridwar station around 7:30 pm, it seemed that the sea of humanity had erupted on the platforms as well as beyond! My previous memories of Haridwar on our white water rafting trip was that of a quaint town with a small, quiet railway station, but the picture in front was nothing like that! It seemed we could not take a step forward without tripping over some one, apparently there had been an important event that day and hence the crowd. We somehow managed to engage a rickshaw to drive us and our luggage to Rahi Motel where we had reservations. The hotel is just a stone's throw from the railway station and offers decent lodging for short stays like the one night halt that we were on. Luckily our rooms were all provided with air coolers that labored hard to offer some respite from the humidity. After a quick wash and a dinner that we probably went in for with our eyes half closed, we gladly turned in for the night.

The next morning saw us wake early as we were to start our road trip to get to our destination. We had arranged for a vehicle from GMVNL to pick us up at 6:30 am from Rahi Motel, on the cards that day was a close to 12 hour drive (depending on road conditions) to Joshimath where we would halt for the night. It was also Shantanu's birthday, but we did not have much time for festivities at the early hour; in fact we barely managed to load our luggage and ourselves with assistance from our driver Durga Prasad, sort out our differences and set off about 10 - 15 minutes behind schedule. By 9 we reached Kaudilya where we stopped for breakfast - aloo parathas seemed to be the ubiquitous choice (little did I know then that by the time we would return, I would've sworn off these for life). By 10 we reached Devprayag - one of the Panch Prayag or confluences of the river Alakananda. It is here that she merges with the river Bhagirathi to form what we know more commonly as river Ganga. We stopped for a brief time for some pictures and, more importantly, to stretch our legs before we set off again to reach Rudraprayag by lunch time.

Rudraprayag is the confluence of river Alakananda and Mandakini. It is here that the road diverges for travellers to Kedarnath and those moving on to Badrinath. The GMVNL restaurant is nicely positioned - it offers a clear view of the actual point of confluence of the rivers. We partook of a simple meal and set off again. By now, we were getting weary of the road trip. Those of us sitting in the rear seat were getting increasingly uncomfortable and desperate to maybe get off and walk around for a while; but Durga seemed reluctant to let us out of our pen lest we lose time or run into a landslide and get stuck there. The road seemed to stretch on for as far as the eyes could see and everytime we passed a spot where there had been a landslide or an obstruction of any kind, we were shrouded by a layer of dust and grime that made us wonder when we would get to the famed cold and calm of the Himalayas. It was only around 4:30 in the evening when we got to Pipalkoti that the heat seemed to release its clutch on us. With backs and legs stiff from sitting for so long and eyes dry from the cinders on the road, we got off for a much needed cup of tea and chips. From here on the journey was more pleasant as we drove along side river Alakananda, crossed Karnaprayag - the confluence of Alakananda and Dhauliganga and went on to ascend the mountains to reach Josimath at 5:30 pm.

GMVNL has constructed a brand new hotel at Joshimath that and it was here that we got off after an entire day on the road. At the hotel we encountered our first problem on the trip - the standard rooms that we had booked were all equipped with the Indian style toilets which was a problem for my aged parents. We had no other option but to upgrade to the delux rooms on the first floor that come at a higher price but offer senior citizens like my parents the convenience that they need as well as an awesome view of the mountains from the balcony - something that Ma and I were secretly seeking ever since we got off the Tata Safari. However we were disappointed that the tour operators at the Hyderabad GMVNL office had neglected to tell us of this difference despite Ma and Bappi asking him repeatedly. The extra expenses hurt no doubt, but more importantly it raises a question mark on the arrangements for the rest of the trip making one uncertain of what other surprises may be sprung upon us later. For the time being, we tried to make the best of the situation and checked into two delux rooms that had balconies; after all, if we were gonna shell out extra money, we may at least do it with a view. Sadly however there were some problems with our room and so we were forced to move into one without a balcony on the other side of the corridor. Shantanu had stepped out to look around while I had to make the shift to the new room and obviously was not very happy about it. In addition, the long drive seemed to have played havoc on my back as I was beginning to feel a stabbing pain on the right side of my spine. We freshened up quickly and decided to visit the temple at Joshimath. A short walk from the hotel and a brief climb later, we reached the Hanuman temple and the Radhe - Shyam mandir. Within the precinct of the latter was a cave that was used for meditation by Adi Guru Sri Shankaracharya and his disciple. We offered our prayers to the different deities and spoke to the local priests about the different temples and places of interest around the area & learned that the main math was a short distance away. However it was getting dark and we were tired from the day-long drive. Also by now, my back ache had taken strong hold of me and I seemed unable to stand straight or take a step forward without wincing in pain. This was reason enough for my family to immediately steer me back to the hotel where I was ordered to lie down while my back was nursed using lotions and hot massages. It was only due to all of this that I was able to get back in shape within a short while and go down to the restaurant to have dinner. As it was Shantanu's birthday, Bappi treated us to an elaborate meal after which we settled in for the night. Whether it was the fatigue of the trip or the nagging back ache that still seemed to fester I don't know, but I was out like a light. Sometime between 2 and 3 in the morning however my slumber was lightly jolted by sounds of rain that seemed to be pouring by gallons outside and thunder that seemed to be determined to scare the lights out of us all. I have never liked the sound of thunder particularly during a storm and out there, amid the mountains, the reverberation of the clap seemed to amplify the sound 10 times over. How on earth are we going to get to Badrinath tomorrow? - I wondered even as I fought the deafening rumble and closed my eyes tight in an attempt to find shelter amid tenuous shrouds of sleep. It's funny how one can mull over serious concerns even in bed...then again, there was nothing I could do by thinking about it, so might as well get some zzzs.

We were to set off for Badrinath the next morning and since we had some time before the scheduled start at 9 am, we decided to visit the main math. Shantanu had already visited the math earlier in the day and so gave Ma, Bappi and me the necessary directions. Jyotirmath is the uttaramnaya math or the nothern math, established by Adi Shankaracharya sometime in the 8th century AD, the others being located at Puri in the east, Shringeri in the south and Dwaraka in the western part of India. The heads of these maths belong to Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy and are referred to as Shankaracharya. The math complex houses different temples dedicated to Lord Hanuman, Devi Parvati and Lord Shiva where we paid our respects. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is located under the Kalpavriksha - the wish fulfilling divine tree that is believed to have originated during the Samudra Manthan and refers to a tree of bounty in today's world. At Joshimath this is a sacred fig tree under which Adiguru Shankaracharya is said to have meditated and obtained knowledge. A climb of 20 - 30 steps brings one to the main math building - a low roofed 2-storey building that serves as a resting ground as well as an abode for visiting and resident monks alike. The building and the entire math complex offers a wonderful view of the mountains and lush green trees that make up the area while also acting as a window to some of the snow capped peaks of the Himalayas that seemed to peep in from afar and signal their presence. The main room houses a sphatik or crystal / quartz Shivling believed to absorb negative energy, I remembered having seen a similar one at Rameshwaram on our trip there the previous year. We said our prayers and partook of the prasad after which we made our way back to the hotel and set off on our journey to one of the destinations on this trip - Badrinath.

Badrinath is approximately a 2 hour drive from Joshimath and the road on the final climb is every bit treacherous as one can imagine. The rain from the previous night did little to improve the situation and as a result we seemed to be on a unique roller coaster ride that held a surprise turn, a steep climb or a nasty bump every alternate second. The previous night's downpour compounded the difficulty; ever so often Durga would have to veer the vehicle to a sharp turn in order to avoid a puddle on the road or a surprise waterfall from above. Ever so often, the jeep drove right over a waterfall that seemed to carelessly cross the road in its journey downstream. At such times, one could almost hear the tussle between the clear, gushing mountain waters and the grunting mechanical power of rubber and steel as each attempted to override the other. At one spot, Durga pointed out a tree that apparently does not dry or seem to wither away despite the fact that no one tends to it, local rumor has it that it was planted by Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati themselves. And it was with their blessings that we completed our ascent to Badrinath.

Since it was only 11 am when we reached the top, we decided to explore the nearby Mana village before going in to our rooms. Located about 3 - 4 kms. from Badrinath, Mana bears the distinction of being the last village on the Indo - Tibet border...and does so with a pride that seems highly incongruous for someone who has come "last". It was soon obvious that the inhabitants believed in making the best of what was dealt out to them, including the disadvantages of being perched at the tip of the nation's border. From the sign board at the entrance that proclaims the village to be the last Indian village to the groups of local lads who offered their services as guides into this edge of the country and not forgetting the tea shop owner who offered his services as the "last option for a cuppa" - Mana village seemed to be doing all it could to attract attention. However this spot is famous not just for its geographical placement, it also houses many spots of mythological significance and it was to explore these sights that we employed the services of Sunil, a local lad who offered to show us around. Since there is a climb of quite a few steps, Ma decided to stay back while Bappi shushed our requests that he also avoid the ascent and fell in step with us almost rebelliously :-)

Sunil first pointed out the Nar and Narayan parbat - Badrinath is situated between these two mountain ranges. He also pointed out another mountain which is believed to be the horse that carried Badri Vishal (Lord Vishnu in his form as the presiding deity here) to Badrinath after which it was left to graze away as well as the path for the trek to the Vasundhara waterfalls. We continued our climb on a narrow road between kitchen gardens that boasted of king-size cabbages and small tenements that housed the local inhabitants and reached Ganesh Gufa.

It is said that it was in this cave that Lord Ganesha wrote the Mahabharata as dictated by Ved Vyas ji. A further climb brought us to Vyas Gufa. The facade of this cave resembles sheafs of pages of a book - a fitting abode for the author of many of the great, ancient Hindu scriptures including the Shrimad Bhagwat. We offered our prayers inside the cave as the pujari told us tales of how Ved Vyas ji summoned Lord Ganesha to write the Mahabharata while he dictated the same and how despite composing many such epic works, Ved Vyas ji gained inner peace only after he composed the Bhagwat.

After we left the Vyas Gufa, we climbed up some steps, climbed down some and then again climbed up some more till we came to the Saraswati river and Bhim Pul. It is only here at Mana that one can catch sight of River Saraswati in her short, individual glory before she merges with Alakananda and remains hidden then on till her journey to the ocean. Given the force of the river waters as they emerge from the glacier, it is indeed surprising that she chooses to travel incognito; today there are various theories and discussions as to the origin and even the existance of this mighty river. Stretching across the waters is a stone bridge called Bhim Pul. Sunil informed us that when the Pandavas were on their ascent to heaven or Swargarohini, Draupadi was unable to cross the river as she was in full spate. It was to help her that Bhima lifted a huge boulder and placed it across the river so that Draupadi could walk over to the other side. The striations on the rock are believed to be Bhim's finger impressions as he moved the rock while two shining stones at the bottom of the bridge are said to be his eyes. We walked on further and reached a small source of water that Sunil informed us was actually coming all the way from Mansarovar! The water was cool and refreshing and we soaked ourselves in it as far as possible. This brought us to the end of our short sightseeing in Mana, so we said our goodbyes to Sunil and walked back to the vehicle. On the way back, we saw teams of Indo Tibetian Border Police as they made their way up to their posts. The irony was stark - what was an extremely short pleasure trip for us was actually their place of work where they spent months away from their families so that we can rest at peace...

We drove back to Badrinath and checked into adjoining rooms at Hotel Devlok - GMVNL's tourist rest house at this location. The rooms here serve the purpose of offering a roof over one's head in unfamiliar areas...and just that. If you are seeking 5-star comfort, luxurious settings or even spacious accommodation, you may need to seek elsewhere. But we were too hungry then to bother about the size of the room; none of us had eaten much since morning except for a few munchies on the way. It is advisable to carry as much dry food as possible in these parts since one never knows when the weather or the roads become unfavorable and one may be forced to wait out long hours before moving ahead. We waited as Bappi spoke to GMVNL authorities to convert their 2 night stay at Badrinath to a single night (they planned to go back to Joshimath the next day) and then entered the restaurant. All meals at the GMVNL hotels need to be ordered well in advance as the food is all made to order. After a quiet lunch, we headed back to our rooms and took a short nap. The weather was chilly and the pair of thick blankets that the hotel had so generously provided kept us warm as we rested our bodies.

We awoke around 3 pm in the afternoon and set off to visit the Badrinath shrine. Before entering the temple, it is advised to bathe in the Tapt Jund or the hot springs that are located at the foot of the temple. The waters in these springs maintain a temperature of 45 degrees Celcius round the year despite the cold weather around and are said to possess medicinal properties. We equipped ourselves with buckets and mugs from nearby shops and then made our way to the springs. Shantanu took the first plunge (literally) while Ma and I went into the separate enclosed pool for ladies. Neither of us felt adventurous enough to take a dip, so we drew water from the pond and washed ourselves thoroughly at the edge. The warm water felt wonderfully invigorating in the cold weather, although Bappi did not seem to agree; then again, he has always been finicky about things like where we eat, bathe and is not particularly fond of getting wet :-). It would have been nice if the surrounding area near the springs and the ponds themselves could be kept clean and calm. Instead pilgrims seemed to be eager to use the water to wash off all their grime as well as their clothes, which may put off others reluctant to take a dip in such "used waters". Then again, one can only imagine the hardships that they face to make the trip to this difficult spot. Not all of them are able to afford hotels where they can rest and wash off the remains of the travel, in fact, it is probably a minor proportion like us who travel up here in the comfort of private vehicles. Most of them take walk up and down the hills for days together to get here and so one can understand their urge to clean themselves as far as possible at the first sight of warm water. But despite recognizing the rationale behind their actions, I cannot condone the same. Call me picky, call me a prude, but I cannot accept that one person dirty the waters that another takes a bath in or that waters that are believed to offer healing powers are diverted to other requirements.

We climbed up the stairs to the temple and entered the inner sanctum. It is said that Shankara discovered the image of Badrinarayan in the Alaknanda River and enshrined it in a cave. In the sixteenth century, the King of Garhwal moved the idol to the present temple which serves as the Lord's abode for almost six months in the year before He is moved to Jyotirmath for the winter. Since the temple had only just opened for darshan, there was very little crowd and we soon made it to the main shrine area. Here rests the black stone image of Lord Badrinarayan, sitting under a gold canopy, under a Badri Tree. Legend has it that Lord Vishnu was chastised by a sage who saw Vishnu's consort Devi Lakshmi massaging his feet. Vishnu went to Badrinath to perform austerity, meditating for a long time in padmasana. During this time, Devi Lakshmi stood next to him sheltering him from scorching sunlight turned into a Badri tree herself called 'Badri Vishal' and her lord (Nath) became Badrinath. In addition to Lord Vishnu, there are fifteen more murtis around the temple that are also worshipped. These include murtis of Nara, Narayana, Narasimha(the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu), Lakshmi, Sage Narada, Ganesha, Uddhava, Kubera, Garuda and Navadurga. At this point, I do need to confess that it was extremely dificult to spot the actual idol that was decked in ornaments. However what I truly appreciate about the temple authorities here is their handling of the devotees; unlike some of the other pilgrimage centers that I have visited where devotees are literally herded in and out of the temple and the darshan is restricted to a fleeting glance at the Lord, the purohits here welcomed us to step forward and stand before the idol for a long time while they explained where each deity was located and laid our offerings at the feet of the gods. In fact, they even encouraged us to sit in front of the idol and say our prayers until the next group of people came in! One may counter that the crowd in the temple at that time was not as intense as is seen in the other places that I am referring to. Nevertheless we will all agree that it is very comforting to devotees who travel long distances to visit these temples when the authorities allow them enough time to feast their eyes on the idol and say their prayers; simple understanding and a co operative attitude makes the entire experience pleasant and as in this case, very memorable.

We stepped out of the sanctum and visited the other small temples that are located in the same premises (although I did venture in once again to see the main idol and was given some more prasad when I did so - another example of the wonderful attitude that I was commenting on earlier). There are different types of pujas that one can offer at the temple, we opted for the Karpoor Aarti and bought tickets for the same. Since there was about an hour and a half for the aarti, we looked around the temple and sat down for some time taking in the surroundings. Around 6 pm, all those of us who had bought the tickets were instructed to line up at the door leading to the sanctum and escorted in by the volunteers. The names of the ticket holders were read out and then an aarti offered on our behalf. The entire experience may have lasted just a few minutes, but the atmosphere seemed to reverberate with the collective chants and the devotion of all of us present there. The temple assumed an ethereal glow amid the flickering diyas and the resounding gongs and in some corner of my heart, I was sure that the gods themselves had descended to the earth to accept our prayers.

We returned from the temple to Hotel Devlok. The cold had whetted our desire for a hot beverage so we feasted on a hot cup of masala tea at a nearby stall. Shantanu had come down with a headache due to the cold breeze, so the two of us returned to the hotel while Ma and Bappi went around for some shopping. There was little to do during dusk and the rooms in the hotel felt small for an evening stretch so we all carried our books into the hotel lounge where we relived the experience of having visited one of most important centers of the Hindu religion and caught up on our reading. Dinner was a simple meal, again pre ordered from the limited menu offered by GMVNL here after which we retired for the night.

Shantanu:

We woke up early the next morning. There was a thunderstorm raging outside since 4 in the morning and this made us nervous. There was every possibility of a land slide and if that happened, we would have had no other option but to stay back. We had planned to visit the temple once in the morning and bid the Lord a goodbye but sadly that did not happen (primarily because of our laziness since Durga did go over despite the rain). The sky cleared at around six and we set off an hour later after having some tea and snacks. A short but memorable event occured soon after we hit the road - we came upon a heron and an owl seated at the edge of the road. Now we have seen these creatures in the zoo or from afar on animal safaris in Corbett and Pench, but to see them at such close distance was a very thrilling experience. It was only because the road was narrow and because we were apprehensive that we would scare the birds away that we watched them from within the jeep for as long as possible and then continued our journey down. Not many vehicles were on the road at that early an hour. The path was clear and to our relief, we did not encounter any obstacles at least till the Hydel power plant near Vishnuprayag where we were stopped by a long line of vehicles waiting to clear the road of the debris from a landslide. Once the road was declared fit for vehicle use by the team from the Border Roads Organization, vehicles were allowed to pass one by one across the affected stretch to ensure that there was as little damage as possible and also to minimize losses in case the mountain gave way again. We crossed our fingers as we made our way across the landslide and then rode on to reach Govindghat at around eight thirty a.m. Here we bid adieu to the car and our parents, who would be spending the night at Joshimath before leaving for a day's trip to Auli after which we would all meet up at Joshimath again.

Govind Ghat, named after Guru Govind Singh, is a small town on the banks of the Alakananda and it forms the base for those on their way to Ghangria and then on to the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib. Our initial few steps were greeted by a waterfall that sped gaily across the road and seemingly took great pleasure in soaking our shoes, socks, feet and all. We walked into the main crowded market place which also includes a Gurudwara, crossed the bridge as advised by Durga before we got into discussions with ponywallahs. Thanks to the prudence of Devmitra, we settled for Rs. 500 a pony - much lower than the 1500 for two ponies that they had initially asked for on the other side of the bridge. However the ponywallahs are mostly very poor rural folks who come from nearby villages with little in terms of other means of livelihood. So we did not mind even if we had to tip them generously for all their help that they provide on the ride.

Our ponywallah walked us up a short distance along a road that was strewn with horse dung and wet from the water of the omnipresent waterfalls and introduced us to Avval Singh - our guide as well as our ponies, both of whom were co incidentally called Dhanno. I did not begin on a promising note as my Dhanno - a beautiful, black pony inadvertently stepped on my toes before we commenced our journey...maybe it did not enjoy the prospect of ferrying a bearded human on its back for the next 4 hours or so. Devmitra did not have so much of a problem with her brown Dhanno as she did with her own fear of lifting herself off the ground and sitting on its back while trusting the animal to remain in the same place unlike what is commonly seen in cartoon films. After these initial hiccups, we set off with Avval Singh leading the way and alternately coaxing and rebuking the animals with words like "Dhanno, bhar"; obviously this was a special language for communication between man and beast which we were not privy to. The road to Ghangria is rocky and slippery, strewn with slush from the waters and horse manure; not exactly meant for a leisure stroll; yet it was surprising and embarrassing to see young and old Sikh men and women make their way up and down the mountain. I enthusiastically greeted the fellow travellers with a 'Wahe Guruji ki Fateh' to which they responded in a similar vein. Now and then we saw the river Lakshman Ganga, meandering along as it makes its way to join the main Ganga.

Midway through our climb near Bhyunder, we halted at one of the many dhabas for a quick rest, both for the animals as well as us. The dhabas here offer hot parathas and Maggi along with small cups of sweet, energizing tea - exactly what the doctor ordered at these high altitudes. My Dhanno seemed to be relieved as I climbed off its back; it immediately took a plunge into the dirt on the ground, apparently this is how they rid themselves of fleas and other annoying pests. Not that I minded much (at least it let me get off first!), but I did mind my jacket that I had placed on its back being mercilessly beaten into the ground. The roads near the dhabas are unfortunately littered with plastic and although Government agencies and NGOs employ people to clean the paths, one does wonder why individuals do not help out by avoiding the habit to drop their packets or water bottles anywhere and everywhere.

After the much needed break, we resumed our climb on the ponies. As we trudged along, we became familiar with some interesting and useful tidbits while riding a horse particularly on such terrain. Avval Singh advised us to shift our body weight forward everytime the road sloped up and lean back when the path went downward. He also assured us to keep our calm even though the animal may appear to walk towards the edge of the road, though I must admit it was difficult to do so at times particularly when the road offers no railing or any such mechanism. It was also fun to note how the animals seemed to enjoy nuzzling against those who were on foot, particularly those walking the same direction and therefore unable to realize that we were approaching from behind. The times when we had to cross over other animals coming from the opposite direction, especially those laden with goods offered some anxious moments as the guides attempted to steer the ponies on the narrow road with as little friction as possible. Soon we reached the last few kilometers of the trail where the trees became thicker and the climate colder. We reached Ghangria around 1 PM and trooped in on the narrow, dusty single road that runs through this mountain village before alighting at the GMVN guest house.

We had reservations in an economy room and like at Badrinath, these rooms are not on the spacious side. Moreover the village runs on generators during the day as power is available only between 7 and 10 in the evening and for city folk like us, this came as an initial surprise. We attempted to evaluate other options of staying in tents or a deluxe room, but we were out of luck in both cases. Partly unprepared for this situation and partly for the need to explore the place, we stepped out to have lunch (what else but...Aloo paratha!) at a local dhaba and on the way back, called our parents from the satellite phone booth to inform them that we had reached safely; mobile or land line connectivity is also unavailable at Ghangria.

As if all these surprises were not enough, Devmitra's shoes, which were in need of a repair for a long time, gave in as we walked back to the guest house; rather the sole of one of the shoes came out. I had advised, cajoled and even rebuked her into replacing them even before we started planning for this trip, but the lady displayed an extreme spirit of attachment and held on to them as if they were her old pals. Luckily we had spotted a cobbler just outside the guest house who sewed them together so that they would at least last the duration of the trip and charged a handsome 50 bucks for doing so. One cannot help but admire his acumen in setting up business at these heights where restaurants seem to be the only other source of income!

A short siesta seemed called for to relieve the body of the swinging motion of the ponies. Later in the evening we went to the EDC office to gather more details on the trek to the Valley of Flowers which we intended to venture on the next day. This center is run by couple of Garhwali ladies and also offers an interesting read of books on the valley as well as the state of Uttaranchal. Once the generators are switched on in the evening, the center also runs a documentary on the valley which we decided to sample. The projection room reminded us distinctly of the purported movie theaters in Mangalore - there was a small projector placed in the center of the room and simple plastic chairs laid out for the audience, none of the plush seats that is seen in the multiplexes in cities, not even the rexine chairs of old time cinema halls. Back when we were in Mangalore, we had watched a movie called Bhoot (meaning Ghost in Hindi) and till date we are not sure if it was the powerful histrionics of the actors on screen or the eerie ambience of the so called theatre that got to us. Of course, this documentary of the Valley of Flowers was nothing like that. Though poorer by 50 bucks, we found that it is worth watching as we gained a bagful of information. The documentary tells the story of how the valley was "discovered" quite accidentally by a British mountineer Frank Smythe in 1931 who lost his way when returning from a successful expedition to Mount Kamet. It also speaks of Margaret Legee, a British botanist who fell over a cliff in the valley while collecting some flower specimens. It introduced us to some of the many flower spieces that we would come across - anemones, orchids, poppies, primulas, marigold, daisies, rhododendrons and so many others. Not just flora, but the feature also spoke of birds, insects and animals that have been reportedly spotted in the valley. All in all, the documentary did a fantastic job of getting us all excited about the trek the next day!

As we stepped out of the EDC center into a light shower that had started sometime earlier in the evening, we were welcomed by twinkling electric lights that had come alive, if only for a limited period all across the village. Dinner was a simple meal at the hotel after which we turned in for the night to dream of pretty flowers and ice capped mountains. The weather seemed to a complete turn the next morning when we woke to a bright sunny day as people poured out of their hotels on their way to Hemkund or the Valley. It was a good omen and we decided to fall in step and set out on the trek at the earliest; we had however not planned for a close to 30 - 45 minute wait while the hotel guys heated water (again powered by generators that are switched on for some time in the morning) and ferried them to each room. Of course, given the constraints of the location, we were only too happy for the bucket of hot water even if it meant a wait for the same and one can only help appreciate the friendly and co operative attitude of the hotel staff as they went about their tasks be it preparing breakfast or arranging for ponies or carrying buckets of hot water to the rooms. For those few hours in the morning, the entire hotel nay the entire town seems to come alive and then the hullaboo slowly dies out as the tourists hit the road.

Devmitra:

By the time, we set off it was close to 8:30 or 9 in the morning. We were carrying a small bag with our rain coats although we were wearing water proof pants over our trousers in case we were hit by a sudden shower. At the start of the trail, there is a forest department check post where officials collect the fee for the trek and also note down your name so as to watch out for your return later and thus ensure no one is left behind in the mountains. We passed the check post and slowly walked ahead leaving the village of Ghangria behind. We also met up with other trekkers who would turn out to be our companions on this hike. This included some of the staff from our hotel, a pair of young girls from Delhi and 3 or 4 senior gentlemen who seemed to be employed with the Government. Thus teamed up, we set off on the trail that was initially flat albeit moist from the damp of the forest. The cool shade of the tall trees soothed our nerves as we looked around trying to identify the different spieces of flora. Some of the staff from the hotel pointed out the trees on whose bark the ancient Hindu scriptures and the Vedas have been written.

About 30 mins into the trek, the road slopes down as we climb down one mountain and then cross a bridge to begin our ascent on to the valley. This was a long climb and the major portion of the trail is rocky with little or no supporting railings at times - nothing like the path that we had so far walked on. At some places, the climb gets really steep and the hot, humid sun seemed to make things more difficult. I had already taken off the full-sleeved sweater that I had worn at the start of the trek; once into the climb, I also stripped off the water-proof pants that were by then drenched in sweat. Shantanu had bought a trekking stick the previous day at Govind Ghat and I still remember that I had scoffed at his purchase. It did not take me long to realize the immense support and help that the stick provides; by the end of the trek, I had selfishly taken possession of the stick from my life partner and was leaning on it as if it were my lifeline. More than about an hour into the trek, we arrived at an open place between the mountains that was wonderfully bridged by a huge glacier. This was a wonderful spot to stop a while and catch our breath (we seemed to be doing that a lot, although Shantanu assured me that it is always better to walk at a slow but steady pace on such terrain rather than stress oneself in attempts to finish the trek soon). The trail near and ahead of the glacier was calm and beautiful...and treacherous. There had probably been a landslide near the glacier a few days back, hence the trail was strewn with loose rocks and narrow winding turns that we had to navigate with care. At this point we came across a lady who was being carried into the valley by one of the local guides in a chair basket that he bore over his head; we had seen similar contraptions the previous day when we were climbing up to Ghangria. The overall arrangement seems to be convenient, particularly for senior folks, but one does wonder about the comfort of the person carrying the chair.

By this time, we seemed to have gotten separated from the rest of our group, but we did not mind this much since there was no question of getting lost. Also it gave us a chance to go at our own pace, stop when we felt tired and admire the awesome view that surrounded us. At time, the path is interrupted by a waterfall which makes its way gaily down the mountains and we would cross over on makeshift bridges of asbestos sheets solidly supported on mountain rocks. The water from these falls was amazingly cool and refreshing; we made ample use of these to wash the fatigue off our faces and necks. As we got nearer to the valley, the rocky path gave way to short bushes that seemed to be crowded with a variety of insects. At this point, the air around offered a unique scent; it is indeed very difficult to explain it in words and I somehow regret that there was no way I could capture it. This was a kind of medicinal, kind of sweet smell that I have never come across in my life and now the air arround seemed to be suffused with it. The trail now got easier than the climb that we had encountered so far and we came across other tourists who were visiting the valley including a senior Sikh family who (I am embarrased to admit) seemed to be very comfortable with the terrain. About 15 mins from this point, we finally entered the main basin of the valley and to say that it was beautiful is not just an understatement, it is probably sinful to leave it at that. Then again, how does one describe the amazing sight that greeted us - tall verdant bushes and grass that seemed to hug us in welcome to their world, birds and insects that danced around us like eager kids with so many stories to tell and flowers of so many colors and fragrances that we had never imagined to come across during the season end even in our dreams! According to the local myth, the valley is the celestial Nandan Kanan or the garden of heaven where the celestial nymphs, divas and devas play - something I can easily believe as I think of the lush spread.
This national park is now a UNESCO site and is regulated under the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. It stretches over an area of approximately 90 sq.km. and is said to reflect the transition between different Himalayan regions. The diverse species of plants found here include many threatened ones, not seen else where and those that are known for their medicinal properties (I was glancing through a book at the EDC center the previous evening and it seemed that the plants in this valley offered a remedy for all ailments be it a simple cold to the more dreaded diseases).

After a short walk into the valley, we met up with the rest of our companions and continued our exploration of the park. The weather seemed to co operate wonderfully so we ventured deeper and deeper into the valley walking amid bushes that were taller than us.

Since it was past the peak season, we did not spot the more celebrated flowers or the famous Bramhakamal seen at higher altitudes, but what we saw was no less beautiful. It is at times like these that one wonders the creativity of the Higher Power; whatever we may call it or no matter even if we do not believe in the existance of one, the marvel of pristine locations such as this is bound to hold anyone spellbound. After almost an hour and a half walk that included crossing one waterfall where your's truly completely freaked out (do'nt ask me why!), we reached the tomb of Margaret Legge. The tomb stone and memorial erected at the spot by her sister quotes this amazing line - I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. Personally I found this line very apt for the setting; just in front of the memorial rises a huge mountain the sight of which inspires courage and strength to even the weakest mind.

There are a few benches around the tomb where all of us sat down to rest our legs, drink some water and also snack on some biscuits that we had all carried with us. The peace and quiet of the mountains and the cool breeze offered a wonderful respite to our tired bodies and minds alike; one could easily decide to catch a nap there in the lap of the Himalayas. However we knew we had to head back at the earliest. The weather is not exactly predictable in these parts, further it gets dark very early and for people like us who are not used to these terrains, it is better to make haste in returning. So we said goodbye to our friends and retraced our steps back across the cliffs, into the main basin, on to the rocky road, over the glacier and back to the shaded marshy road. As we walked back, we met many others who had probably arrived late or had set off later on their trek to the valley. We buoyed up their spirits by telling them tales of the beauty that lay ahead and wished them all the best as we nudged our tired feet to make their way back to civilization. It was on the return journey that I appreciated the value of going trekking in company, particularly with someone who is used to it; Shantanu was amazing in guiding me through the entire experience as well as keeping my morale up as I negotiated the more difficult areas. It was close to 3 pm when we finally got back to our hotel proud that we had successfully completed the trek and glad that we had done so without any eventuality.

Back at the hotel after the trek, it seemed a colossal task to even move an inch without hurting one part of the body or the other. We gathered outside the room in the corridor where we chatted up with a young lad and his father who had come in the previous day about our experiences on the trek and other general stuff. A hot plate of maggi and steaming cups of tea seemed to act as fuel to our tired bodies. We called up Ma and Bappi again telling them to instruct the driver to be there at Govind Ghat in time for us the next day, had an early dinner and retired early for the night. I requested the hotel folks for a little hot water so that I could soak my tired and cold feet to which they gladly obliged. Thus comforted I turned in still mulling over the wonderful experiences of the day.

We had a choice the next day - either take a day trek to Hemkund Sahib and travel onward to Govind Ghat on the return journey or to go down to Govind Ghat in the morning itself. We gave up the former choice with reluctance; but we could'nt afford the 6 hour long trip to Hemkund due to health concerns. So we engaged 2 ponies again from the outskirts of the village and set off on our descent to plain lands mounted on Rani and Moti (Shantanu's pony had a name so unlike him :-) )and guided by Harsh Vardhan. I had expected to be used to riding the animal and hence not have any problem, but the downward climb turned out to be treacherously difficult for me. The saddle on my pony was hard with the result that it scrapped against my skin badly everytime the animal jumped a puddle on the road. Further Rani seemed to possess some uncanny desire to travel the more difficult road, it deliberately chose to jump over gaps rather than walk around on even ground; given that some portions of the road had witnessed some landslides there were many times that we had to travel difficult patches on our way down. By the time the ride ended, I was close to tears what with the skin on my legs seeming to be on fire. It was only due to the padding offered by Shantanu's thick jacket which he suggested I wrap around the saddle was I able to walk down to the taxi point where we met up with Durga who arrived promptly within 5 - 10 minutes of our reaching. Then on it was a short 30 minute drive into the Joshimath; on the way we picked up a man and 2 ladies & dropped them at the main market before making our way back to the GMVNL hotel where we met up with our parents again.

Once we got back to the GMVNL hotel at Joshimath, we were faced with some realities. The problems with the Standard rooms at the hotel had forced Ma & Bappi to opt for a family room on the upper floor. Further we learned of the extreme difficulty that they had faced on their way back to Joshimath after dropping us at Govind Ghat. There had been a landslide which was very severe and was not likely to be cleared soon. So they had to trek for more than an hour on an alternate route before reaching the hotel - obviously an arduous task for two senior citizens with no background whatsoever in walking along such roads. Apparently Durga had been of enormous help during this time, supporting Ma and carrying more than his fair share of load as he escorted them to the hotel. Not only that, he waited until late in the night when the road was cleared to retrieve the vehicle and my parent's luggage so that they could freshen up. One problem that most tourists face in these parts is the inability to pay by card, all transactions are cash based - even at an international ski resort like Auli. This would not have been much of a problem if there was a reliable ATM network, unfortunately that was also not the case. However Durga drove Bappi to an ATM that was quite some distance away so that he could obtain the cash to make payments at the hotel. While this does speak volumes about the helping nature of the GMVNL and local folks, it also reflects on some gaps and the ensuing difficulties that tourists may face and so will need to be prepared for.

We had lunch and then negotiated with the hotel folks to give us (Shantanu & me) a Deluxe room even though we had reservations for the Standard one. And we were lucky that we got the room that Ma and Bappi had stayed in during our onward trip to Badrinath, the one with the balcony and its accompanying amazing view of the mountains! We took a much needed nap after which the four of us stepped out to feast on jalebis, samosas and tea at the local shops which Ma and Bappi had discovered earlier. We were to leave early the next day on our way back to Haridwar so we called it an early night. The next morning we left by 6 am as we were concerned that we might encounter landslides on the way. We had mulled over the idea to set off on the downward journey the previous evening itself and spending the night at Rudraprayag earlier so as to avoid the long stint in the jeep on the road and also accommodate any unforseable delay, unfortunately our itinerary did not support this, also we were kind of tired the previous evening having just gotten back from Ghangria. But in case you are still planning your trip to these parts, you may wish to explore this option.

It seemed like we had dodged any major disruption until we got to a point close to Birahi where we encountered a landslide. This was a big one and since it was still early in the day, it seemed like there was a long wait ahead of us before the BRO folks got there with the necessary equipment to clear the rubble. The drivers and locals however were of a different opinion, rather than wait for the bulldozers, they rolled up their sleeves and heaved off the heavy rocks so as to make the road passable for the vehicles. In fact by the time the BRO actually reached the spot, we had already resumed our journey! We got to the GMVNL guest house at Birahi where we stopped for breakfast. By now we had all sworn off Aloo Partha and so gladly feasted on toast and cereal. We hit the road immediately after the meal so as to avoid as much delay as possible. That was not to be as at Rudraprayag the road was blocked due to severe traffic and so we had to take a detour along the road to Kedarnath. At one point on the road, we witnessed a landslide albeit one so minor that Durga was actually able to drive through. This gave us a wonderful chance to witness this geographical phenomenon from close ranges. It seemed to me as if there was someone sitting inside the earth running a common home mixer without the lid due to which the contents, in this case the rocks and pebbles, were spilling out of the container - may not be a good example, but this is exactly what I perceived. When the slide involves only small rocks, one can carefully and quickly drive through, although even at such times there is a risk of a pebble shattering the windsheild of the vehicle. Luckily we got by without such an eventuality and drove to Srinagar for lunch. By now we had all grown weary of the same menu, same taste and same bill amount of the GMVNL restaurants, but had little option. We had almost reached plain land by now with the result that the drive started getting increasingly uncomfortable what with the dust from the road, the sweltering heat and the limited scope for movement in the jeep. It was at Kaudilya that we were able to take a break after which we set off on the last leg of the drive to Haridwar. By now the road seemed to stretch on for ever, even at the gates of Rahi Motel, we encountered a traffic jam that held us up for close to 10 minutes. Once we reached the hotel, we were so lucky to get on to our feet and feel the blood rushing into them! We bid adieu to Durga - our driver, guide and friend over the past few days and checked inside the motel yearning for a wash and a non-rocking seat.

Having freshened up, we decided to head for the ghats of the river Ganges at Haridwar to watch the evening aarti. A short auto ride brought us to a point from where we were told that a short walk would bring us to the river bank. However we did not anticipate the sudden showers that came down due to which we had to seek shelter at a shop. This delayed us by close to 15 minutes due to which we missed the main aarti and bhajan; however even when we reached the ghaat, the crowd seemed to be overwhelming. We were only just able to secure a spot where we could watch the tiny flickering diyas as they made their way downstream, the sight brought back memories of our previous trip to Haridwar. We offered our prayers and then headed back to the local market where we did some shopping. We were determined not to eat at GMVNL that night, so we hailed a cycle rickshaw to take us to Chotiwalas - a restaurant that we had previously sampled at Rishikesh. The cycle rickshaws at Haridwar are an interesting arrangement. They offer seating for 2 + 2 members with their backs to one another. After much deliberation on how 4 adults would ride the rickshaw comfortably and securely, we sent Shantanu to the rear while I relived my childhood days seated with my parents on their lap :-). The Chotiwala at Haridwar is quite different from the one at Rishikesh and this extends to the menu also. But what was more important for us for the difference in taste that it offered to our taste buds that seemed to have lost their edge over the past few days. It was with great enthusiasm that Ma & I ordered Chinese, Bappi ordered North Indian and Shantanu South Indian in an attempt to restore life to our sense of taste! Thus satiated physically and psychologically, we got back to Rahi Motel where Shantanu and I freshened up as we had a train to catch; Ma and Bappi were taking a train to Agra the next morning where they planned to spend a few days with some family friends before heading back home. So we bid them good bye at around 10 pm and walked down to the station where we boarded the Mussorie Express to Delhi.

Luckily the train did not disappoint us and we arrived at the Old Delhi railway station on time the next morning. A short rickshaw ride brought us to the Kashmiri Gate metro station where we boarded a metro to New Delhi. We had already experienced the marvellous efficiency of the Delhi metro previously, this time we extended our experience by taking the airport link to the new terminal T3. One must say that this link is truly amazing, not just in terms of the set up but also in terms of efficiency - 20 minutes flat to the airport without any hassle or delay - this metro link easily compares to infrastructure in some of the most developed countries of Europe! A short bus ride brought us to T2 where all domestic flights operate from where we boarded our flight back home to Hyderabad. By the time we reached home, the fatigue of being on the move for the past week got to us and it took the next few days to shake it all out. Over this time and even now, we frequently find myself reliving the experiences of that one week...our first long pilgrimage...was it inconvenient? Yes it was. The long trek in the Himalayas...was it tiring? No doubt. So would we do it all again or maybe set off on a similar adventure in the future...? YOU BET!

Deshe Bideshe 23 - Pench

2011-03-27T22:08:00.067+05:30

Devmitra:

Jungle, jungle baat chali hai, pata chala hai
Chaddi pehen ke phool khila hai...

Although Shantanu will disagree, I believe that the trip to Pench is the most spontaneous & the fastest outing that we have ever been on. As a kid, he had visited Raipur (which was then still a part of MP) and Kanha National Park and often recollects his fond memories of those days. It seems that one such conversation triggered the idea to go visit a national forest park located in this part of the country. As a trip to Kanha would be too long for a weekend sojourn from Hyderabad, we chose to travel to Pench.

Named after the Pench river that meanders across the park, this forest was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1983 and in 1992, Pench was included under the umbrella of "Project Tiger" as the 19th Project Tiger Reserve. The park spans an area of 758 sq.km. shared by MP and Maharashtra although 90% of the park area lies in the former state. It is about 70 km. from Nagpur and it was to this city that we headed out on the Dakshin Express at 11 pm on a Friday evening having rushed through attempts to close the busy work week. Securing train reservation is another story, in fact it calls for a blog of its own; train reservations on demand are hard to obtain in India. We had blocked seats in the AC coach that could be obtained subject to any cancellation, but as our chosen date for travel came near, the chances of that happening grew slim. Last minute bookings are available under the Tatkal (instant) scheme that opens only from 8 am two days before the scheduled departure. As we were sure that we would have to contend with many other folks also keen on making it through this window, we came up with a strategy. And boy! what a strategy it was! Shantanu stepped out at 7:30 am to the nearest computerized booking centre while I took charge of the online booking post. The plan was to start checking as soon as the window opened and book the first option available. But alas! it seemed that our plan was not that unique at all. While I was stuck with the "Service not available" error, Shantanu reported that the lines at the counter snaked till well outside the station. Nevertheless we kept up our efforts and it was only after about an hour or so that I managed to secure two confirmed seats by the Sleeper class. Not the comfortable journey that we were hoping for, but at least it was a confirmed ticket!

So there we were at the Nampally railway station on a warm Friday night. We found our berths on the train as well as our fellow traveler - a young lady who was busy catching up with friends over her cell phone. As the train rolled into the Secunderabad station, we were all joined by another Rajasthani family who ensured that they made extensive use of the last few minutes before the train left the platform to catch up with family. Finally we all settled into our respective bunks to catch a few Zs; sleeping on train journeys has always been a problem for me while Shantanu was out like a light. Not much of a problem, I thought, since we were anyway scheduled to reach Nagpur before 10 am the next day and I anticipated a 2 hour journey max. before I would reach the comfort of a clean shower and a non-rocking bed. What I did not take into account was the wait time for the drive from our hotel to reach us. While the train put us down at Nagpur bang on time, Badu, our driver was nowhere to be seen. Phone calls revealed that he was "just outside" and would be there in "5 minutes". 5 minutes turned to 15, 15 to 30 giving us ample time to grab a quick breakfast of idli, vada and coffee at the railway canteen as well as admire the Nagpur railway station before we finally found him. Not that he was to blame - India was to play South Africa that day in Nagpur in the ICC World Cup Cricket and hence apparently traffic was heavy. We experienced this for our selves as we drove through the city before we finally hit National Highway 7 and then zipped through on an occasionally bumpy road to Pench.

The drive to Pench was pretty uneventful save for the few times that Badu threatened to turn a wayward pig into ham or the odd families of monkeys who flashed bare-fanged smiles welcoming us to their parts of the land. Within a few minutes of crossing over from Maharashtra into MP, our vehicle made a left turn that signaled that we were entering the Pench National Park. As we drove in, the vegetation became thicker and denser than what we had so far seen. After a drive of almost 6 km along this road, the car turned into a narrow right path which culminated at the Mahuaa Vann Resort. We walked in to the reception to meet Mr. Subhash Yadav, the lodge manager. As Shantanu went about fulfilling the check-in formalities (seated at a table which contained dried snake skin in a small wedge - talk about jungle-y!), I briefly chatted with some guests at the reception who were actually checking out. It turned out that they had seen a tigress that morning along with its five cubs - WOW! That must've been amazing, I said out loud, although I silently wondered that it was even more amazing that it was always someone before us or somebody after who had managed to experience this, but never us...I still remember a couple of years back when we had traveled all the way from Hyderabad to Corbett with great hopes of seeing the tiger in its true surroundings - while we were unlucky, we heard later that it was only the previous day that a group of tourists had caught sight of the animal... :-(

Check in formalities done, Yadav bhai saheb, showed us around the resort - this place has a vast stretch of well-maintained land that includes about 12 cottages, a recreation center and a dining area to which we were guided first and where we were served a welcome drink. Then

on, we were escorted to our cottage - Cottage Number 2. As the doors opened, we were truly taken in by the arrangement - the bedroom was a large area that included every possible amenity that you can need or want in a hotel, the bath was huge, clean and well-equipped including a dresser area and the most interesting part was the open shower and sit-out area that opened to dense vegetation and wide skies! I was already making plans on how I was going to use my time in these simple but luxurious surroundings, but it turned out that I did not have much of a time to dwell on these yet. After Shantanu & I washed off the remains of our journey, we were treated to a simple yet sumptuous lunch - aloo capsicum, palak paneer, daal, curds all served with roti and rice. It would have been nicer if we could allow this wonderful meal to convert into fat as we caught up on some sleep, but we were scheduled to set off on our first safari within the next hour or so. So we quickly grabbed some vitals like sunglasses, caps (mobile phones are strictly prohibited inside the forest) and set off in the open jeep with Yadav bhai saheb at the wheel.

At the entry gate, Yadav bhai saheb got off to fulfill necessary formalities as well as escort our guide to the vehicle. Our guide for this trip was a lanky young chap named Jai Prakash. As we drove in slowly on our designated track, our driver and guide provided interesting information about the area. The core area of the forest has an area of about 440 sq.km. and the rest comprises the buffer. Although younger than Kanha or Bandhavgarh, Pench has been recognized and awarded by the state government for its conservation efforts. In addition Pench also has other claims to fame - the reserve and the surrounding areas have been immortalized by the British writer Rudyard Kipling in his most famous work The Jungle Book. Also this forest has served as the setting for the BBC documentary "Tiger - Spy in the Jungle".

By this time, we had come upon quite a few herds of deer and groups of langurs. Apparently these two animals share a symbiotic relationship - not only does the monkey alert the deer to any approaching predator that it spies from tree tops, it also shakes down fresh, green leaves from those heights for the deer on the ground :-). Pench is purported to be a bird-lover's paradise and we soon caught sight of some blue jay, mynah, peacocks, peahens and bee eaters. Among the fauna, we caught sight of some jackals

(who seemed to be smaller that I had expected) and mongoose. However the afternoon sun was beating down on us with all his might and it was obvious that most animals had sought the shade of the cooler areas of the forest which in turn, gave us a good chance to explore the forest itself. The vegetation at Pench mostly comprises dry deciduous teak and southern tropical mixed deciduous forest with other species of shrubs, trees and climbers. An interesting specimen among these is the Indian Ghost tree so called because of its ghostly white color that shines in the dark. The terrain of the park is composed of hard, rocky soil that bore wild weeds and grass. We caught sight of the skeleton of a pair of antlers that, we were told, had been lying there for the past 2 years after the deer was killed by a tiger - another example of the curious indolence of the forest amid the presence of so much life and color.

We drove to reach Alikatta which serves as a rest area as well as the alighting point for the elephant safari in the morning. As we rode in, we witnessed mahouts escorting two of these massive animals to their bath.
Yadav bhai saheb informed us that after the bath, they would be fed rotis made on huge pans that we saw; apparently a single elephant consumes rotis of almost 10 kgs of flour - an obvious appetite considering their size. However the idea of feeding the elephants, he said, is to ensure that they remain friendly with humans. After dinner, the elephants would be shackled but let loose in the forest so that they can move around freely and can be rounded up for the safari the next morning by the sound of the chains. We got off at Alikatta and stretched our feet a bit. The vast expanse of the area provides an excellent chance to spot some animals at close quarters as we soon realized as first a sambhar and then a pair of jackals walked us by. We set off again this time on our way to Sitaghat, one of the more beautiful areas of the park that culminates into the Pench river. A dam has been constructed on this river near Nagpur and the backwaters of this reservoir serve as water sources across the park. However when these run dry in the summer, the forest officials use hand-pumps to fill tanks across the park so that animals do not have to wander too far from their area in search of water.

We stopped for a few minutes near the Pench river to drink in the glorious sight around us. The sun had dropped low by now and we spotted herds of deer and sambhar on the banks as they quenched their thirst. A solitary stork watched the fellow residents from afar as it wet its throat. We drove on occasionally meeting other forest enthusiasts including this American couple who had just seen the tigress walk by with her five cubs in tow...apparently they had waited in that one spot for more than 3 hours to catch sight of her...if only the tigress knew how much she was in demand ;-) We then rode towards the Chinddimatta Road, the more rough area of the park. While the rest of the forest is more or less flat, this portion is full of ups and downs and twisty, windy turns through rocky hills - a terrain much favored by the leopards. Unfortunately while the undulating landscape poses no problem to these sure footed cats, it can wreck havoc on someone like me who suffers from motion sickness. As the jeep negotiated the sharp turns and sheer drops, my stomach seemed to rebel furiously and I was sure I was going to be sick. What bothered me more was that we were not allowed to step down from the jeep under any circumstances. How on earth was I going to manage then? And even if we reached a good spot, was I actually going to pollute a National Reserve Forest with the remains of my last meal? I was sure that that would be one story that was not going to let me rest in peace for a long time. Frustrated and guilty, I requested Yadav bhai saheb to drive us back at the earliest as I was unwell. He immediately ordered me to come up to the front seat, which definitely helped, although I did have to request for 5 - 10 second rest breaks as the jeep accelerated towards the gate.

Dusk was slowly creeping in as we made our way to the exit. The silence within the vehicle only seemed to accentuate the calm of the evening forest. The turning of the jeep tires was the only sound that betrayed any movement, any indication of life...but not for long. All of a sudden a loud sambhar cry rang through the air and Yadav bhai saheb immediately brought the vehicle to a screeching halt. He explained that the call of the sambhar was an extremely reliable indication to the presence of a wild cat nearby; apparently sambhars are not the smartest of the deer family and raise the alarm only when the predator is really close. Maybe this was our lucky stroke, maybe this was the moment that we would see the king of the jungle walk us by...We waited with bated breath having forgotten all about motion sickness or any rush to get back and desperately scanned the thick undergrowth ahead of of us each of us selfishly hoping that we would be the one to spot the feline. It was the more experienced eyes of Yadav bhai saheb that saw something. Unsure of what it was exactly, he tried to guide us towards it when all hell seemed to break loose! It was less than the blink of an eye that we saw a black shadow jump up and away from us and escape into the depths of the forest. Was it a tiger, a deer, a bird? Yadav bhai shaeb remarked that we had just witnessed the beauty and amazing agility of a leopard and it was only because I had caught sight of the round ears that I agree. It would have surely been an wonderful experience to see this wild cat from close, but the thrill of the moment and the display of the grace and speed of the animal is a memory that is going to stay with us for a lifetime! And the best part of the whole episode - my motion sickness seemed to miraculously disappear! I desperately wanted to go around the forest one more time now, but apparently we had already reached the gate :-( The fact that the leopard had come so close to the exit gate surprised Yadav bhai saheb a great deal - apparently leopards are shy and keep to rocky and mountainous areas. He did remark that it was only because of my sickness that we were trying to get out of the area in a hurry and therefore spotted the cat; so apparently something good did come out of my sickness :-)

At the exit gate, we got off to visit the Information Center that includes an interesting and informative display of the flora and fauna found at Pench. We made our way back to the jeep all the while boasting of how we had seen a leopard to anyone who would listen - the forest guards at the gate, the staff at the hotel. As we neared the resort, we surprisingly realized that the temperature seemed to have dropped way below and that it actually felt cold. Yadav bhai saheb remarked that this peculiar chill post sunset and before sunrise had overcome the area over the past few weeks. It was obvious that we were going to need warm clothes for our safari the next morning - something that we had painfully ignored even though we had experienced this anomaly in Corbett. Luckily Yadav bhai saheb promised that he would provide blankets so that we did not freeze in the rear seat of the jeep the next morning. We made our way back to the room little tired but much excited with the events of the day. As the evening darkness enveloped us, we sat out in the open area to do...pretty much nothing. It was heavenly to sit out there watching the clear summer sky that seemed to come alive with millions of stars that we never even knew existed or had not bothered about in the city. As we experienced the strange forest noises around us, we caught up on thoughts and conversations that were hitherto forgotten amid our day to day rush. The whole ambiance was extremely soothing and peaceful including the soft spray of the sprinklers within the resort as we made our way to the dining area. A simple meal of jeera aloo and chicken curry along with rice, roti, curds and dessert served as the perfect ending to this glorious day.

The alarm dutifully woke us at 4:30 the next morning; it was another matter that I chose to turn the other side and catch some more winks. Unfortunately, this was not to be - the sounds of Shantanu rustling through the room, the wake-up call from the hotel staff at 5:30 and my own inner self that kept telling me that I had to get up now if I wished to make it to the safari - all of these plotted against my beauty sleep. So there I was, dragging my feet to the washroom against a cold floor and making desperate attempts to wake up. The temperature seemed to have plunged over the night which spared us the ordeal of an elaborate toilette. As we stepped out of the room, we wondered what season it was; the surroundings seemed to be enveloped in a weather fit for the coldest of winters! Luckily for us, Yadav bhai saheb remained true to his word and ordered the boys (he has a characteristic call for them - one shout of "ladke" in his strong voice would summon them to the spot at once:-) ) to bring in the blankets. He assured us that every one who would arrive at the park today would be similarly dressed. Obviously, I thought as I wrapped the blanked as tightly as possible around my ears and body, when it comes to the basic question of survival, I am sure that fashion is the last thing on one's mind. The early morning chill however seemed bent upon beating my attempts to stay warm, not matter how I clung to the blanket, it found a way to creep in and set my teeth chattering. Not that I should complain though because Yadav bhai saheb was having a tough time at the steering and ever so often, he would take his hands off the wheel and rub his palms together in an attempt to infuse some warmth into them. Thus, cold, dopey and ridiculously draped, we arrived at the forest gate.

Our guide for the day was Shyam Rao, who appeared to be more senior and experienced than the lad from the previous day. The first sighting this morning was that of an owl perched high up on a tree. However it was not so much due to the height as it was because of the animal's brilliant camouflage that it took us a while to spot him; the color made the small creature look more a part of the tree bark and the fact that it sat there absolutely stolid made it even more difficult. Anyway, after about 10 mins. of searching, we finally spotted the creature. (It was only after we got back to Hyderabad that Shantanu confessed that he had not been able to spot this bird :-) ). Shortly after, we spotted a mongoose running through the bushes. We probably owe our familiarity with this carnivore from the many films where it is shown battling poisonous snakes, a quality much exulted in another of Rudyard Kipling's stories Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.

The next spotting was indicative of our good luck this day. Soon after we moved from watching the mongoose, we spotted a pair of gaur or Indian Bison. The largest and the heaviest species of wild cattle, this bovine is now listed as "vulnerable" on the Red List. Males weigh between 1000 - 1500 kilograms while females reach between 700 - 1000 kgs. This huge size obviously implies a sluggish gait, an almost reluctance to move; we had concluded that they were actually just huge rocks and not animals of any kind. It was only when one of them moved its ear to drive away a fly that we realized that these enormous...things were living creatures!

As we drove ahead, Shyam Rao suggested that we sign up for the Tiger Show as soon as possible so that we are among the first few to be allowed to go on. The Tiger Show is an interesting and useful process here at Pench that provides as good a chance as possible to spot the wild cat in its natural surroundings. Mahouts set out early in the morning to round up the elephants by following the sound of their chains. After an early breakfast, animal and keeper set out into the heart of the jungle to locate the tiger. Once they spot him, they inform the forest officer by wireless who in turn informs those who sign up for the show of the location of the animal. When the tourists reach the spot, they are mounted on the waiting elephants who carry them into the jungle to view the tiger. Of course, a great deal of luck is involved here; what is to say that the tiger will remain at that location until the tourists get there? Luckily for us, a tigress had given birth to five cubs a few months back at Pench. Given that the mother now had to feed and protect the young ones, the chances of her staying put at a certain location were higher than normal. Shyam Rao and Yadav bhai saheb discussed how the tigress was spotted the previous day by many tourists at a certain location and that the probability of finding her at the same spot today were pretty high. This was enough encouragement for us; we immediately agreed to drive to Alikatta and sign up for the Tiger Show first.

On reaching Alikatta, we witnessed a sight that warmed our hearts - quite literally! There was this huge log fire set up, probably to prepare breakfast for the elephants, that was in full blaze. All of us grabbed the opportunity to warm ourselves in this heat while the guides registered our names for the Tiger Show. Had it been possible, we might have stayed there next to the fire for some more time; however we had a jungle to visit and animals to spot. So we got into our jeep again, pulled the blankets over us in a desperate attempt to restrain as much of the warmth as possible and set off again. This time we were rewarded with the sighting of a Nilgai also known as the blue bull although in reality they are antelopes; in fact, the Nilgai is the biggest Asian antelope. Luckily for the animal, the misnomer has helped fuel the local belief that they are sacred and hence protected it against hunting.

As we drove further, we received word that we should head for the Tiger Show. To be honest, I barely realized what was happening; within no time we reached a spot where there were many jeeps and forest personnel as well as many elephants completely prepared to carry eager tourists into the depths of the jungle. Yadav bhai saheb instructed us to leave everything in the jeep (including the blankets :-( ) and get on to the elephant. Shyam Rao had already impressed upon us the tough life of the mahouts and coached us enough about how to handle them so that we get the best view possible. And Shantanu was a dutiful client who followed all the instructions. A tip passed into the hands of our mahout Jainath as soon as we got on was received gratefully and we took off, rather our elephant Sharoon took off. This was a small animal who seemed oblivious to the fact that there were three living creatures on its back; it just marched into the dry dense shrubs deftly breaking any twig that got in its way by its trunk while Shantanu and I had to deal with thorny branches scraping our skin and leaving angry cut marks all over. After a painful minute or two, Jainath advised us to grab hold of any branch that came in our way and bend it aside so that we did not emerge from the Tiger Show looking as if we had been mutilated by the wild cat. It was interesting to watch how Jainath steered and controlled Sharoon - it was pretty much like how one would pedal a bicycle or a pedal boat although he only dug his heel gently on Sharoon's neck to stop or start her while the stick in his hand conveyed which direction the elephant should move.

We had been on Sharoon for about 2 -3 minutes and by now we were completely surrounded by thick shrubs. We would learn later of the lantana weeds - the dry bushes that although not indigenous to the area and easily inflammable, are placed in the park as the tiger favors them as hiding spots where they devour their kill. As Sharoon carried us inside, we could barely make out the tourists on the lone elephant ahead of us and only hear the voices from those following. It is now difficult to say when and why we spotted it, but all of a sudden, Shantanu brought my notice to some movement in the bushes just ahead. Some small animal maybe...but no wait! This ain't any small animal, after all no other animal wears the black and yellow-orange stripes but the king of the jungle himself! Although in this case, it was the queen of the jungle - this was the tigress who had recently delivered five cubs and was completely occupied with feeding and caring for the young ones. As can be instinctively understood, at such times the tigress is very protective of her cubs and wary of any unusual occurrences or visitors which explains why our tigress was prowling behind the bushes. But our thought at that time was - would that be all? Is that all we are going to see of this magnificent beast? After all Sharoon was making a U turn and seemed to be retracing its steps on the way out...for some reason that will ever remain unknown to us but which we will ever be grateful for, the tigress decided to step out of the weeds right behind Sharoon and I could only do so much as to not fall out of the howdah! Wow! It was amazing! We have all seen tigers at the zoo and have all heard people remark that the feeling of seeing one in the wild is completely different, but it was only at that moment that it all made sense. To me the sight of that majestic animal amid the thick forest symbolized power and grace...sheer beauty. No picture can capture the magnificence of this cat, no film can ever do justice to its elegance. Even though no one suggested it explicitly, an uncanny silence descended in that small bushy area almost as if we were paying obeisance to this fascinating sight. We could only hear the camera shutters click in wild anticipation of capturing the image and we contributed our bit too - we would realize a few moments later that we had not got a single good shot :-(. Anyway the scene is still fresh before my eyes as I now attempt to put it in words - the unique yet familiar striped and luxuriant skin, the collar around the neck that helps officials track its movements, the face particularly the eyes that seemed to look out for anything unwelcome and the abrupt low growl that it emitted as it made a getaway into the bushes as quickly as it had emerged from them. The entire episode probably lasted just a couple of minutes but it left us awe-struck for a long time after, in fact even now when we recount the story to family and friends, we cannot help the feeling of wonder that envelops us as we think about that brief encounter with this big cat.

Sharoon brought us back to the spot where we had taken off and we stroked good-bye. We could not wait to describe our tale to Yadav bhai saheb and Shyam Rao who complimented us on our luck. We continued our exploration of the forest by jeep. The weather seemed to still retain its chilly bite albeit at a lower intensity. We spotted some more birds, deer and langurs the latest being of particular fascination to Shantanu and therefore the subject of many of his photo shoots. After driving around for a while, we reached the Pench river. The water and the surroundings were bathed in the early morning light and the sight and experience offered by this landscape is awesome!
Make sure your vehicle stops here for a breathtaking view - a stretch of deep blue water surrounded by a lush verdant span of bushes and trees and herds of deer, sambhar as well as birds of every kind basking out in the open, a stray gaur, leopard or who knows? maybe the tiger himself wandering into the area!

As we drove further, we experienced many more residents of the jungle - a Nilgai grazed languidly amid the bushes, a flock of varied birds flew by us so

low that one could almost grab a wing and take flight along with them,

a pair of deers battled it out between themselves, another attempted to swallow an entire fruit in one go while yet another tried to scratch the velvet off its antlers (the deer antlers serve as a source of calcium for the deer itself as well as for the porcupine - another fine example of the symbiotic living here in the forest), at one spot an Indian Ghost tree sprung tall from within hard lifeless rocks, a lone eagle cast us an apathetic but curious look from afar - it was in fact funny that so much could be happening within a forest that to us outsiders may seem calm and even a little prosaic.

It was getting on to be time for us to leave the forest. I could not help but feel a pang of envy for the forest workers who could spend hours even days inside the jungle as they go

about their work. Of course, I realize that life is not exactly easy for them. Shyam Rao concurred with me on this, he pointed out that these workers are always on their guard for a predator and that they use the trees for their protection if ever faced with an ill-tempered tiger or a leopard, the broad trees offering refuge in case a tiger comes by or the narrow branched but strong ones that a leopard cannot get its paws around. Work in the forest ranges from the occasional repair work, control of forest fires and aiding in the conservation efforts of the authorities.

We were to witness another fine example of these conservation efforts as we drove towards the exit when we came across a group of vehicles waiting at a point. On inquiring, we learned that a tigress had earlier been spotted amid the stones and the bushes that crowded the small and narrow gorge ahead and the group was waiting there in anticipation of catching sight of her if possible. Another tigress? This must be our lucky day! We also decided to join the waiting group and Yadav bhai saheb tried to find a good parking spot. While the other drivers and guides, Shyam Rao included, urged him to go as close to the gorge as possible (an option that I silently favored, this would help get a good picture of the tigress if and when she appeared), Yadav bhai saheb refused to do so and instead tried to park close to the road but at a spot that offered a good view. Despite the jovial banter of the guides and the drivers that he should listen to them or at least learn to drive better, Yadav bhai saheb parked at a spot away from the gorge that he thought fit and silently stayed put shutting the vehicle as well as his mind to their chit chat. After a wait of almost 10 minutes, it was obvious that the tigress was not coming. So we drove away and it was at such time that we learned that there are strict rules about where a vehicle can and cannot be driven in the forest. These rules are not just on paper; in fact, we were told that just few days back, the vehicles from one hotel were banned for almost a month as the driver had strayed a few centimeters beyond the permissible limit! Obviously Shyam Rao was aware of these rules and it was not exactly fair for him to provoke Yadav bhai saheb into breaking the law - a fact that Yadav bhai saheb clearly communicated at the gate where Shyam Rao got off. This sparked a minor altercation as Shyam Rao insisted that he was only fooling around while Yadav bhai saheb was of the opinion that such kidding could get a new driver into trouble. The exchange of words continued for a while and farewells were not exactly pleasant.

Not that Shantanu & I were bothered; we had seen a tiger in the wild - something that we gad been trying to do for a really long time! We returned to the hotel jubilated and feasted on a breakfast of hot aloo paratha. After a leisurely shower, we caught a short nap and then headed off to the dining hall to feast on a lunch of gobi masala, paneer butter masala served with roti, jeera rice and curds. There was a machan on one of the trees near the dining hall and we spent a good hour or so after lunch up there catching up and watching other guests come in. After a relaxed siesta, we had our evening tea and then decided to head out for some fun exercise. Mahuaa Van offers interesting options of cycling, table tennis etc. as additional activities and we chose to cycle around the resort and outside. Although we did not go far, it was good fun attempting to drive the cycles on a near-forest terrain. As dusk enveloped the area, we stepped out on foot to try and get to the nearby village where there was a fair going on. The road behind the resort offers a good walking path amid miles and miles of green farm land.
Having done 2 safaris, we were now 'expert ornithologists' easily identifying horn bills and blue jays as we made our way through the fields :-). The setting sun framed between two branches of a Mahuaa tree was a befitting farewell to our short stay in this beautiful haven.

We got back to the hotel and found that another family was watching the Spy in the Jungle video. It was interesting to note how the team had designed and trained the elephants to carry the different cameras hidden either as boulders (bouldercam) and placed in the jungle or fashioned such that the elephant could easily carry it on its tusks (tuskcam). As we shared our tales with the new guests at the hotel, we also decided to settle any pending dues. Yadav bhai saheb had earlier requested for Shantanu's assistance on some problem that he was facing connecting to the internet. As they tried to figure it out, I spent some time going through the small but well-equipped library at the resort. We then had an early dinner and went to bed.

Early next morning, we set off from the resort and reached Nagpur in about 2 hours. At the station, we had a breakfast of aloo paratha that we had gotten packed from Mahuaa Van and washed it down with coffee courtesy Indian Railways. AP Express arrived on time and seemed to be bursting at its seams. We met a family who had apparently been allocated seats in different compartments and so requested us to switch. We agreed and went off to find our new seats which actually worked fine for us as the new bogie was relatively empty - who said good deeds are not rewarded :-). As we got to Secunderabad, the train seemed to be dragging its feet; we had half a mind to get off and go to my parent's house. When the train stopped yet again at Khairatabad, we could take it no longer and jumped off. Finding an auto that would drive us till Gachibowli was difficult but luckily we managed to find one and thus got back home after our short sojourn to tiger land.

Deshe Bideshe 22 - Rameswaram

2010-11-27T21:17:00.056+05:30

Devmitra:
We undertook a trip to Rameswaram in November 2010. Some among you may wonder why this trip to a pilgrim center...I believe that it is always better to undertake these trips while one is still young and able rather than yearn to do so in old age when the body and spirit are comparatively more infirm. Also the beauty of these cities is that not only are they pilgrim centers but also locations that offer a contrasting and interesting perspective to life that we are commonly accustomed to. It is indeed difficult to believe that a distance of only 600 kms separates a bustling metropolitan city and a town that appears untouched by modern times. As we got off the Rameswaram Express from Chennai on 13th noon having flown in the previous day from Hyderabad, we were stumped to encounter a town that appeared to fit the image of a typical Indian village - roads and transport infrastructure were conspicuously absent, cleanliness seemed to be unheard of and people appeared to be laid-back and least bothered by the goings on around them.

A word of warning to those who intend to come into Rameswaram by this train - this route conspicuously lacks the amenities of tea/coffee/meals that are otherwise ubiquitous during any train journey in the country. Hence it may not be a bad idea to stock up some light bites for the trip. This did not seem to be too much of a problem for our co-passengers though - a middle-aged Gujarati couple who had set out on a South India tour fully stocked with all kinds of snacks. On talking to them, we could only admire their enterprise; they had set out 3 days ago from Vapi in Gujarat and would meet up with their group at Rameswaram with who they would then tour almost every tourist spot in this part of the country - Tirupathi, Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty, Kodai and of course Rameswaram...Whew!

Before the train rolls into the sleepy station of Rameswaram, it enters the Pamban island through a bridge that shares the name of the island. This offers a wonderful view of the gurgling waters of the ocean below. The bridge bears the distinction of being India's first sea-bridge and comprises twin bridges - one for rail traffic and the other for road vehicles. It has a still-functioning double-leaf bascule bridge section that can be raised to let ships pass under the bridge. Experts assert that the location of the bridge is in a cyclone prone high wind velocity zone. Yet the sight of a long train crossing this almost guard-less bridge and the beauty of the uninhibited view that the train passengers behold, as we did on that cloudy morning, can hardly be described in words.

We had reservations at Hotel Vinayaga which is a stone's throw from the railway station. We walked in and were shown into a room on the 3rd floor which still reeked of cigarette smoke doled out by the previous occupants. Our request for another room was met with willingness and alacrity although it took a while to open the lock of the new room. After a wait of about 10 minutes, we were shown in to room 311, a neat and spacious abode for the next 24 hours or so. While I freshened up, Shantanu stepped out to "explore" the surroundings. His venture revealed that we were very close to the Western entrance of the temple.

Once Shantanu had also washed off the dregs of travel, we stepped downstairs for lunch. The restaurant at Vinayaga can hardly boast of a diverse spread and house flies seemed to have captured most of the tables. Hence we opted for a simple meal of Rice, Sambhar and Curds after which we lay down for a short siesta. We had inquired about conveyance to Dhanushkodi earlier during check-in and were informed that only 4-wheel drives were allowed and that it would cost Rs. 1000. Shantanu's search around the town also indicated a similar price; so we booked a jeep from the hotel for 3 pm.

Dhanushkodi holds mythological as well as historical significance. It is said that Lord Rama broke the bridge constructed across the ocean with the end of his bow; a series of rocks found in a line at this point today are believed to be the remnants of the bridge. The area around Rameshwaram has been frequently ravaged by several high-intensity cyclones and storms in the past. A severe storm in 1964 literally washed away the town of Dhanushkodi. All dwellings and structures were destroyed and about 2000 people were killed. Today the town has been declared a Ghost Town, unfit for habitation. Eerily, the spot has now assumed touristic significance; people visit Dhanushkodi today to experience the unfathomable force of nature and its after-effect. It was with the same intention that we undertook the jeep ride that afternoon although I should confess that the first sight of our conveyance made us re-consider the plan.

The seats appeared mauled and were hardly fixed to the vehicle, the body badly needed a fresh coat of paint and the controls seemed to be completely powerless. We were actually convinced that there was a mistake and checked with the hotel again only to be told that it was either this vehicle or none at all. Left with no other option, we sent out a silent prayer to all gods and set out on the 18 - 20 km ride of which only about 10 km was along well-paved road. Once the vehicle crossed the Dhanushkodi check-post, the ride got rough, much like Harry Potter's bus ride in Book 3 - "Fasten your seat belts, clench your buttocks, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" After the great storm, the entire area is covered by sand dunes that make driving extremely difficult and uncomfortable. The view of the area itself spells desolation and abandonment today; on one side the ocean waters come in but lack the playfulness of a beach, instead they are still and covered with weeds. On the other side, sand stretches across for miles appearing like a great desert extremely hostile to life of any kind. At some parts, thorny shrubs had overtaken the entire "road" and so as the jeep cut through them, they attempted to scar the vehicle as well as us seated inside, almost as if they wished to prevent us from entering the barren landscape.

None of this deterred our driver or his assistant; they deftly negotiated the hostile conditions as if they had been doing it for eons. We passed near desolate stretches and at times it seemed like we had reached the end of the world; then we would again 'bump' into a few stray dogs or some horses which seemed to represent the current life at Dhanushkodi.

Here and there we encountered the "other India", an India unknown to us living a comfortable life in gated communities with a secure job and fat pay cheque - of simple women folk traversing miles on foot carrying a bucket of water on their head, a very precious commodity in those parts where saline water reigns supreme. Kids of almost all ages who should ideally be at school ran wildly along the 'road' accompanying our jeep hoping to attract our attention and earn a few rupees in the process - the school of life had already taught them the lesson of survival. Half-way through the ride, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, our driver met up with his friend. We understood later that another of the hotel vehicles had broken down on the way (no surprise there!) and so he went to help his colleague in repairing it while another person drove us to our destination. After about 45 min of ordeal, we reached Rama Sethu, or more accurately, the point where India is the closest to Sri Lanka. It is from here that one needs to walk for another 4 - 5 kms to view the remains of the bridge that Lord Rama had constructed to rescue Sita from the clutches of Ravana. According to the Ramayana, the two engineers in Lord Rama's team - Nala and Nila, designed the bridge and every army man helped in constructing the same, including a small squirrel, whom Lord Rama patted affectionately and thus the stripes on the back of the animal. While the story itself may be a figment of imaginative mythology, it helps us in understanding that the contribution of even the poorest of the poor and the smallest of the small in any endeavor is very important and should be recognized.

Dhanushkodi is just 20 miles away from Srilanka's Talaimannar along the Gulf of Mannar. Don't know if today's Sri Lanka is yesteryear's Lanka of Ravana. Some say that original Lanka had gone under the sea, while others maintain that it remains today. Interestingly according to the Mahavamsa, Ceylone or Simhal was invaded by Vijay Singha, who was originally from Singhapur, Bengal (now known as Singur in Hooghly district). As the poem eulogising the exploits of Bengal and Bengalis say - "Bangalir Chhele Bijay Singha Lanka korechhe joy" or "the son of Bengal Bijay Singha conquered Lanka". Bijay Singha apparently came to Dhanushkodi and from there began his march towards Simhal, and he landed on the Mannar (possibly via land route along Adam's bridge or Rama Sethu.

As we left the 'safety' of our jeep and stepped out onto the beach, we saw a family perform their customary Puja rituals near the sea shore. The surroundings were enveloped with a calm that we have rarely encountered before - no sounds of bustling traffic, no noise of human habitation, just the soft whisper of the ocean waters as they kissed the shore and the distant call of the birds as they went about their chores. We were strongly tempted to forget returning and give into the serenity of the spot. However as dusk tip-toed in, it became obvious that this was not an option. The peace that was so inviting at first assumed an ominous hue as the sun came down. Given that it could all well be a figment of my imagination...but the desolate surroundings, the absence of cheerful electricity or such other city comforts and the desperate looks on the faces of the locals did not inspire much cheer. It was also not as if we had a smooth ride ahead of us and it was exactly due to this reason that my protective husband ordered me into the jeep and we once again set off on the rough ride bidding farewell to the lives and afterlives at Dhanushkodi.

On the return journey, we halted for a brief time to see some of the remnants of the Dhanushkodi town.

What remains today is just the broken facade of the erstwhile railway station, a few beaten and rusted tracks that are completely enveloped in sand and the ruins of a church that seemed to attempt to retain a dignified stature despite the starkly visible adversity that rankles the area even today. Standing amid this evidence of defeat and destruction, I tried to picture a bustling town in the same place, people going about their daily lives with little care and an almost arrogant confidence not knowing what deadly draught fate held in store for them. How often do we also fall prey to this recklessness, this impudence that life will continue to be as healthy and as happy as it is today without realizing that a single turn of events can spell dismay to us and those around.

As we resumed our return journey, we further witnessed the sorry state of affairs in this part. Our jeep started giving some problems again and had to slow down at one spot when to my sudden surprise, a group of kids jumped on to the foot board of the vehicle. It was obvious that they lacked some of the very basic amenities that kids in the city almost take for granted, but that did not prevent them from flashing their brightest grin at us. Their elation was further compounded as one of them received a pack of biscuits from my hand and the group ran back to their abode delighted at the gathering. Our driver dropped us at the check post and drove back to assist the other vehicle and its repair team.

We decided to grab a cup of tea at this point and also bought a pack of biscuits to go with it. However it turned out that there was another serious contender for the biscuits - a goat roaming the area spotted it from afar and flashed a silent demand for its share. What was slightly unnerving was the fact that its eyes seemed to literally pop out of its head and that it refused to take no for an answer even after receiving a few biscuits. It was only when the locals there drove the animal out that we could finish our tea. Our guide team returned shortly thereafter and after a few failed attempts to tie the un-functioning vehicle to ours, we continued on our way back, our driver apparently promising to return for the other party. By now, it was pitch dark and our jeep was making quite a racket of noises, none of which were remotely reassuring. We had our fingers crossed until we reached the hotel where we expressed our dissatisfaction to the staff. More surprises lay in store - we were informed that dinner that night was a buffet spread and that we had no choice in this matter. This meant we had to step out and look for alternate options in this unfamiliar town. It was only after talking to the restaurant manager that we were able to obtain a menu of our choice. Hunger thus satiated, we turned in early for the night as we had plans to offer early morning prayers the next day.

Day 2 of this short trip saw us rise early...'realearly'. We had already familiarized ourselves with the Puja procedures at this temple and hence set out suitably prepared. Although the temple was a short distance from the hotel, we took an auto as the roads are not exactly suited for walking (the fare from Hotel Vinayaga is a fixed rate of Rs. 40/-). As we reached the East entrance, we were approached by Sarvanan, a local priest or panda as they are more commonly known as. He looked reliable and more importantly spoke good Hindi which made it easy for us as we have zero knowledge of the local dialect; so we appointed him our guide for the day. First off, he took us inside the temple for the Mani Darshan. As we walked inside, he gave us a brief introduction to the temple history. The exact date of the origin of this temple is not known; it is purported to belong to the same time period as the Ramayana. Different rulers have contributed to the construction of the temple starting as early as the 12th century. The early morning light revealed a formation of black granite adorned here and there with some paintings. The first step in the puja is the viewing of the sphatik mani which is open between 4 and 5 am. This mani is in the form of a Shivling and is made of emerald. It is believed that this is the mani of Sheshnag, the five-headed snake on which Lord Vishnu and Devi Lakshmi rest. We bought tickets for the Rs. 50 line and within a few minutes, were escorted to the door of the innermost area of the temple. The sanctum was lit by many oil lamps and in the middle of it all stood, nay sparkled a small icon of pure white. As the light danced off the many surfaces of the Sphatik mani, the entire atmosphere assumed an ethereal glow, almost as if the gods themselves had come down into that tiny enclosure to bless us lesser mortals.

After the mani darshan is the turn of the Samudra Snan or a dip in the ocean. Sarvanan escorted us down a road just opposite the East entrance to the temple which ends at the ocean about a half kilometer away. He advised us to take 3 dips in the water chanting Om Namah Shivay. Although the ocean was most likely calm at that early hour, I shamefacedly confess that there was something about the gray swirling waters that scared me and so I was extremely reluctant to venture out too far myself or even let Shantanu do the same. Hence I clung on tight to his shirt and literally screamed my lungs out in an effort to be heard over the prevailing din as I urged, literally begged him not to go out far. Despite his best attempts to convince me that the water inside may actually be cleaner than that closer to the ghat, I held on. Finally we completed our snan in the waters as far out as I would allow us to venture and joined up with Sarvanan who then informed us of different options available for the Teerth Snan. He then picked up a small bucket from a shoe stand keeper where we left our shoes and we re entered the temple where we were joined by another gentleman, most likely Sarvanan's elder brother. As we walked towards the kundas or wells, the duo pointed out some important spots in the temple including a 12 feet tall Nandi. We then reached the first of the 22 Kundas that comprise the Teertha Snan. These kundas are situated all around the temple premises and are supposed to contain holy water from different places. Honestly, I was a bit wary of the whole idea - bathing in waters from unknown sources and that early hour in the morning and spending quite some time in wet clothes in full sight of so many other people? But it took just a few buckets of water from these wells to quell the skeptic in me. As Sarvanan tied up his lungi and jumped up on the narrow wet ledge of the well and emptied buckets of water first on Shantanu and then on me, I felt refreshed, relaxed...almost rejuvenated. Some mysterious inner voice whispered that we were safe, that we faced no danger from this ritual. And any embarrassment from having to walk around in wet clothes also seemed to have been washed away by the holy waters along with the last shreds of my innate fighting tendency; after all, the place was teeming with other devotees who went through the same process. By the time, we reached the last kunda, I surrendered to the inevitability of the slightly cold, slightly warm, slightly sweet water overpower me from head to toe; I tried to say a prayer as the flow enveloped me, but soon realized that I was better off giving in to the moment, surrendering to experience as there was little else I could do - an important lesson for those among us who are easily disconcerted by trials and tribulations and should instead focus on doing our best as far as possible and leave the rest to the unknown.

There are different types of puja that the devotees can offer. Sarvanan and his brother asked for our choice and assured us that they would buy the tickets and all associated items as required. The temple has provisions for changing into dry clothes so that one can immediately resume the rest of the puja, however we told Sarvanan that we wished to go back to the hotel for the purpose. Reluctantly he set a deadline of 30 mins for us to return and indicated a spot right opposite the east entrance. We took an auto back to the hotel, changed out of the clothes that had by then almost become a part of our skins, took a quick shower and returned to the temple, all within the deadline. Back into the temple, we first paid our offerings to the idol of Sri Hanuman and his Sivalinga. Then we were seated along a corridor where there were many other devotees also offering their prayers. A pujari first took us through the Ganesh pooja after which a second pujari came by. It was difficult to follow his accented Hindi and Shantanu was having a tough time understanding him. This became obvious when the pujari instructed us to place a little kumkum on his forehead and Shantanu mistakenly adorned his own forehead :-). Also when the pujari instructed us to apply the vibhuti, Shantanu ended up grabbing a fistful.

However these minor events were soon forgotten as we got into the line for the main darshan, both of us laden with trays of flowers and other items for prayers. As we waited in the line, we read the story of the Rameswaram temple that was painted across the roof. When Sri Rama returned after vanquishing Ravana and rescuing Devi Sita from the latter's clutches, Rishi Agastya advised him to install a Sivalinga and offer his prayers in order to rid himself off the sin of killing a Bramhin. Hanuman was dispatched to Mount Kailash to bring back the Sivalinga, but he was delayed firstly due to the temporary absence of Lord Siva and later as he had to return midway to bring back one for ridding his sins also. As the auspicious time for the puja was close at hand, Devi Sita made a Sivalinga out of sand and Lord Rama offered his prayers to the same. When Hanuman returned, he was disappointed at this and tried to displace the sand Sivalinga but in vain. To comfort him, Sri Rama instructed him to place the Sivalinga that he had brought for him - Viswalinga before the one made of sand - Ramalinga and ordained that devotees would first offer prayers to the Viswalinga and only later to the Ramalinga. The other Sivalinga that Hanuman carried was placed in a separate part of the temple that we had earlier visited.

We had waited for almost 15 - 20 minutes in the line before we were guided to the door of the main temple. The pujaris relieved us of the puja items and Sarvanan instructed us to sit at the door and watch the entire proceedings. The Sivalinga is bathed in milk offered by devotees amid loud chants of Om Namah Sivay. The entire temple seems to reverberate with the prayers of the many devotees for those few seconds. After this puja, we visited the shrine of Devi Parvathi where we again offered our prayers. This concluded the entire process and Sarvanan and his brother escorted us to a quiet corner where we all partook the prasad and settled our dues. On inquiring, Sarvanan guided us to a nearby South Indian hotel called Aishwarya where we had breakfast and coffee. We then took an auto back to the hotel and relaxed for a few hours as we were to check out by 11 am. We left our luggage in the hotel cloak room and then hired an auto to take us around to visit the local sights.

Our first stop was Gandamadana Parvatham. It is believed that Lord Rama left his feet imprint on a wheel atop a hillock here. Today a small temple has been built around the spot. This is the highest point in the island and hence offers a wonderful view. From here we went to the Satchi Hanuman Temple located at the point where Hanuman is believed to have delivered the news of finding Devi Sita to Sri Rama and presented her jewel as evidence (Satchi). There on we were driven to the Five faced Hanuman temple. It is here that we witnessed the amazing stones that are said to have been used in the construction of the bridge that Sri Rama had built to reach Lanka. It was indeed surprising to see that these stones floated effortlessly in water while a different one sank to the bottom of the tank. Appearance wise, the stones resemble corals as they have a similar perforated surface, but apparently their constitution remains a mystery to this day. After this, we visited Lakshman Kund and the nearby Nag temple. The kund is a big one and houses many fish who come in to the shore in anticipation of food (I wondered if they would be willing to offer a foot massage in return). We then rode down to Ram kund where we again saw a few of the stones from the bridge. This concluded our local sight seeing and the auto dropped us off at the temple. We walked down to the sea shore and spent a few quite moments here now that the chaos of the early morning pujas had sufficiently reduced. We then walked back to the temple which was by now closed for darshan. This allowed us a great chance to walk through the much famed corridors.
It was so calm and so cool that we sat down to relax awhile and also admire the beauty of the temple. It was only with great reluctance that we decided to head out for lunch at around 2 pm. As we left through the West entrance, we saw a huge array of shops selling all sorts of interesting and local souvenirs. The western door of the temple is closer to the North Indian restaurants - Gujarati Bhojanalays, Rajasthani fare, Punjabi cuisine and even Bengali food! We headed to Ram Nivas which is believed to offer good food, satiated our hunger and returned to Hotel Vinayaga where we picked up a parcel for dinner. We had more than an hour to kill before our train which we spent reading in the hotel lobby. Finally when it was time, we walked down to the railway station and boarded our train bidding farewell to Rameswaram.

The train journey was pretty uneventful except for a minor tussle over seats with another family. It was quite a surprise when the little kid climbed into my bunk mistaking me for her grandmother! When we reached Chennai early morning, it was raining. Since we had a few hours before our flight back to Hyderabad, we decided to visit the Marina beach. In the spirit of adventure, we avoided autos or taxis and instead opted for a bus. It was a short drive to the beach but through crowded streets and markets. We alighted the bus on the advice of the conductor and realized we were faced with a long walk before we could actually reach the sea shore.

The beach could hardly boast of cleanliness; remains of visitors from the previous evening still littered the sands. We spent a few minutes but headed back to the bus stop and reached Egmore. A few inquiries revealed that there were local trains that went till the airport and so we decided to continue our adventure by taking the same as we had time in hand. A smooth 30 minute train journey brought us right till the doorstep of the airport where we again settled in waiting for our flight back home.

Bidar - the forgotten history

2010-07-05T10:08:00.018+05:30

Shantanu:

We had not planned any road trip for quite some time, but on an impulsive July Sunday afternoon, we decided to head out into the nice weather that had just signaled the onset of monsoon. We were looking for a 2-3 hours journey and Bidar came up first on our list. Bidar is about 105 Km from the place where we stay in Hyderabad, i.e. Gachibowli, and the old Mumbai road which runs very near to where we stay leads to NH9 near BHEL Lingampally. From there Zaheerabad is 75 kms away. Maps suggested that a right turn at Zaheerabad to the state highway 4 would get us to Bidar. Further reading also revealed the checkered history of this land. Bidar dates back to the period of the Mahabharata when it was part of Vidarbha. Afterwards it was controlled by the Mauryas, then by the Satabahanas and later by the Chalukyas of Badami and the Rashtrakutas. The area later came under Devagiri and the Kakatiyas of Warangal. Allauddin Khiljee and his general Malik Kafur took control of Bidar as part of their invasion of Deccan and established a subordinate kingdom here. Later the local Sultanate rebelled against a weak Delhi and Bidar became part of the Bahmani kingdom which was based out of Gulbarga. The Bahmanis were the sworn enemies of the Hindu empire Vijayanagara of Hampi. The Bahmani Sultanate later shifted their capital to Bidar for its strategic location. Sultan Ahmad Shah developed the mighty fort and the fortified city. Later Bidar came under Barid Shah and during early 17th century under Qutab Shahi rule. Bidar was one of the Sultanates which participated in a total destructive war against the Vijayanagar kingdom in the battle of Talikota. Vijayanagar was destroyed but the Sultanate in Bidar was not to last long. In the middle of the 17th century Aurangzeb, the then Mughal lieutenant overran the territory and annexed it to the Mughal empire. After the fall of the Mughals, Bidar came under the Nizams of Hyderabad, Asaf Zah.

A liitle crowded Lingampally market place and the usually overcrowded BHEL junction to Patancheru stretch restricted our speed. But once we hit the toll road (Rs 27 to and fro), the speedometer touched 90 kmph. After some smooth sailing, the road suddenly became a two lane one. Looks like 4 laning is still going on at places, at a speed much lower than the minister's promised 20 km per day. But the greenery around us made us forget any woes about the road. We could see farmers busy at work in the fields, unknown birds, dusty villages, simple womenfolk carrying bundles of sticks, a few bullock carts and many bullocks with their horns painted (a typical feature in Maharastra). NH9 is the primary route to Pune and Sholapur, and also important for pilgrims en route to Shirdi. We zoomed past Sadashivpet and approached Zaheerabad.

About 12-14 kms before Zaheerabad there is a Haritha (APTDC) restaurant which also has clean restrooms. After Zaheerabad, the right side road to Bidar is well marked, even though the signboard is overshadowed by a certain Guru Nanak Institute of Technology (or was it Management?!), another instance of business folks exploiting the names of sages and men of gods. From this junction Bidar is 28 kms away over a straight road interspersed with a couple of level crossings. A sign board welcomed us into Karnataka and we entered a small forested area called Deva Vanam. Then we drove into the Bidar town where the first road to the right leads us to the old city - the fort area.

The Bidar fort is just 1.5 kms from the junction and the fort wall begins as soon as you enter the city which is well marked with directions and signboards. We first visited the Chaubara which is actually a clock tower, even though in medieval ages it was probably a sentry post. Near the Chaubara is the mosque and madrasa of Mohamed Gawan. This was a very eminent place of learning and worship in 15th and 16th century. Mohamed Gawan was a very learned man of wisdom from Persia who adorned the Bidar Sultan's court and became his prime minister. He was a pious man and established the Madrasa which soon acquired fame. He also initiated several development activities in Bidar and became the Sultan's favorite. As often happens, court intrigues began and soo

n he fell out of favor with Sultan who ordered his execution. It is said that later Sultan was repentant, but by then it was too late.

From Mohamed Gawan madrasa we moved ahead towards the fort. On both sides of the road we could see dilapidated buildings, ruins of the fort walls, small houses and courtyards. Signs of abundance had given way to signs of poverty. Probably that is the sign of all consuming "time".

The fort area is thankfully not congested with habitats. The beginning is impressive, there are

huge "darwazas" or the gates of entry which could accommodate a large number of sentries, who would keep an ever watchful eye for suspicious enemy movement. This was one of the reasons why this fort was impenetrable, until of course, Aurangzeb came around. The Gumbad Darwaza is the first gate followed by the Sherza Darwaza. After crossing these gates, one enters into the main courtyard which also contains the museum from ASI and a mosque called Solah Khamba or 16-pillared mosque, which was built in 1327 A.D. The prayer hall is supported by a

number of piers. Also inside are the royal palaces - Gagan Mahal and Rangin Mahal. The ASI museum also has a few collection of potteries and sclupture/artwork collected from various parts of the region.

We saw the ruins of the Diwan E Aam (house of commons) and few other palaces. The stretch of fortressed area has now given way to grazing grounds for cattle and cricket grounds for kids. Shepherds walked their goats and water buffaloes in the same way as they would have done 500 or probably 1000 years back. Kings and their conquests disappear but ordinary folk remain. The conquerors and those conquered merge into one entity, trying to survive the onslaught of time.

We walked back to our car and after some quick directions from local folks got our way back to the main road, the SH4, which led to our next stop - the Gurdwara, Guru Nanak Jhira. The main road was closed owing to some construction activities, so an arterial road running beside the stadium took us to the Gurdwara. We later discovered that it is also accessible from the fort. We first stopped for a lunch of Naan, Lassi and Paneer at the nearby Rohit Restaurant which was neat and clean and then drove to the Jhira. Legend has it that Guru Nanak found a spring of water here when people were suffering from terrible thirst. A beautiful Gurdwara has now been constructed by the side of the fountain. The water of the fountain is collected in a small 'Amrit-Khud' built in white marble. There is a free kitchen (guru ka langar) where free food is given to pilgrims 24 hours night and day. A Sikh museum has been built in the memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur, depicting the important events of Sikh history through pictures and paintings. The birthday of Guru Nanak and the Hola Mohalla festival attract large numbers of devotees from all over India.

It is customary for all to cover their heads as a mark of respect before stepping into

the sanctum. We offered our prayers and partook of the prasad halwa. We then visited the Amrit khud. We then headed towards Narsimha Jhirna. This is a cave temple dedicated to Lord Narsimha. The cave is under water and bats and owls reign supreme on the roof, even though they do not disturb the devotees. Even though we wanted to see the Barid Shahi Park and tombs and the Papanash temple (which legend says was built by Lord Rama after his conquest over Ravan to get rid of his sins of killing a Brahman, viz. Ravan), we could not accomplish that owing to time shortage. It was almost four in the evening and we wanted to be in Hyderabad by 6PM to go and visit our newly constructed apartment. So we headed back on our return journey which was uneventful and peaceful.

Deshe Bideshe 21 - Yercaud

2010-06-23T16:09:00.041+05:30

Shantanu:

We had deliberated much on where to spend our wedding anniversary and finally I zeroed down on Yercaud, a small hill station near Eastern Ghats, about 35 km from industrial town of Salem in Tamilnadu. I chose this place because a) it is cost effective and more importantly b) the train tickets were available. Trains to all other hill stations seemed to be fully booked and some hill stations like that of Kudremukh in Karnataka appeared to be virtually inaccessible. Yercaud is called the 'poor man's Ooty' (Ooty or Udhagamandalam is a beautiful but highly commercialized hill station in the Nilgiris) because of the relatively low cost of living. At around 1500 m above sea level, it is at a lower elevation than either Ooty or Munnar. Also the flaura and fauna in the Eastern Ghats is less varied as compared to the Nilgiris or the Western Ghats. When we did our research on Yercaud, we found that all websites and blogs have a point of agreement - that Yercaud does not have much tourist attractions except for a natural lake and a few panoramic view points, and that a couple of days are enough to give it a dekko. However, we discovered that despite all limitations, Yercaud is beautiful, simply may be because it is less commercialized.

We started on 17th June and flew to Chennai (train seats were unavailable, hence the flight). The SpiceJet flight was delayed by more than an hour and we reached Chennai airport at 8 PM. We booked a taxi at the prepaid taxi counter and then faced chaos. Because of the renovation activities, we had to walk a lot of distance and then there was nothing to indicate the boarding point. At last, with the help of a policeman on duty, we located the taxi stand but more trouble lay ahead. For some reason, taxis were in short supply. We had a train to catch at 10.40 PM so shamelessly jumped the queue and requested the taxi attendant to help us which he did by packing us into one. We reached Chennai central station with an hour to kill. Seating space at the platform was conspicuously absent, where were all these people travelling to so late in the day? Anyway, we found some chairs near the retiring room and partook of our dinner. Retiring rooms offered by the Indian Railways are a dilapidated lot and have obviously not been renovated since the British rail company created them. We had the misfortune of having spent a few hours in one on a previous trip in Delhi and sincerely do not advocate any traveller to use them. Then again, they do come in handy when you need a roof under your head between trains or at odd hours if you are willing to sacrifice other luxuries like cleanliness and privacy.

We boarded the Yercaud express at around 10.20 PM. We had a couple of side berths right next to the door; with troubled insomniacs and sleepwalkers constantly paddling to the restroom, a good night's sleep for us was not to be. There is only one AC-2 Tier on the entire train which was obviously fully loaded. Why doesn't the Indian rail provide more AC coaches when there is a great demand for it while the sleepers go empty! I was sleeping on the upper berth when, sometime during the middle of the night, a hapless and miserable looking Devmitra woke me up. Apparently she had lain awake, not due to any traffic past her berth; rather due to several bed bugs which robbed her of a restful sleep. So we swapped our berths and caught some winks for the rest of the night.

We arrived at Salem duly at 5.30 AM in the morning. Despite the early summer hour, it was still dark outside. Thanks to another travelogue on Yercaud we knew that bus numbers 12 and 13 ply to the New Bus Stand in Salem from where one can get the bus to Yercaud. So we ignored the autowallahs outside the station who quoted really high prices in an attempt to make hay while the sun shone...or at least attempted to and caught a bus no. 12 which was just beginning to move out. The bus trip to the New Bus stand cost us only 4 bucks. We arrived after around 15-20 min, crossed the street, walked through a few fruit seller shops which had opened up early in the morning and reached the bus stand. There were buses everywhere, running or ready to run, but either to Bengaluru or to Erode. After some inquiries we were shown the place from where the Yercaud bound bus would start at 6.15 AM which meant that we had to wait for almost 30 min. The Salem New Bus Stand is not particularly clean. Even at that hour of the morning, there was garbage everywhere but people were oblivious to their surroundings. Anyway the bus came right on time and we started our journey. Bus trip to Yercaud costs Rs. 11 per person. The bus travels through Salem town and then finally hits the Yercaud road which ends up in a hilly winding track. There are 20 hairpin bends on the way and each is nicely marked (16/20, 17/20 etc.) After the first hairpin bend we need to travel a considerable distance before we get the second one but after that, it is a regular affair. The bus was a very ordinary one and we shared our seats with simple rustic people who were going about their business of transporting veggies to the hilltop. It was an enjoyable journey. The scenic beauty around us was nice, but not as exciting as perhaps in Ooty or Munnar.We reached Yercaud at around 8.15 AM, a journey of an hour and a half by bus from Salem.

We got off at what we realized later was the city center. This is recognized by the presence of the lake that this place derives its name from. An auto driver, eager to open his books early, struck a deal to take us up and take us to Grange Resort where we had reservations for Rs. 60 that he claimed was a fixed price. We reached the resort in 10 min (it was around 1.5 Km uphill on the Pagoda road) and were promptly alloted a cottage no. 13 (We do not have any superstition around that number and it looks like neither did the resort guys).

The cottage was spacious & clean and when we requested, the bed sheets were replaced. Famished after the lo..ng journey, we first had a hearty breakfast of Idli and toast and rejuvenating coffee. Thus satiated, we decided to wash off the grime of the road. It had apparently rained at Yercaud the previous night and the surroundings seemed to have a lil' bit of a chill for us newcomers, so we requested for hot water. We were told that hot water was available throughout the day at the flick of a switch, but either we were flicking the wrong switch or were just plain unlucky, but we had to have bath in really cold water...Brrr...it was a bother as we took bath, but it served the purpose of waking us up completely! We then explored the place a bit. Just behind our cottage was a path through the woods which also included a coffee plantation.

We decided to walk down to the town and the lake. The lake was placid with a few boats here and there, mostly paddle boats for tourists. We were in no mood for boating, so we sat down and enjoyed the serenity a peacefulness, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of a large city
We bargained with a local transport agent to provide us a chauffeur driven car for sight seeing the next day. It would cost us Rs 450 (fixed rate) and he would pick us up and drop us at the resort. He arranged for an auto which dropped us at the resort at Rs 50/-.After coming back we made up for the lost sleep on the train. When we woke up it was almost noon time. The sun was overhead and yet the weather was neither too hot nor too cold. It was very pleasant outside, so we took a stroll and discovered a number of jack fruit trees with low hanging fruit. The rains also brought out a lot of snails that set out on the arduous task of crossing the road...sounds silly, I know. The road that would take us a few seconds a couple of paces to step across would be crossed by them in ages, but both of us have been created by the same Heavenly Father...isn't this variety simply mind boggling? The rustic setting was completed by squirrels running intrepidly from tree to tree and many types of birds that called out to us in their own unique voice. We returned to the resort for a hearty meal of south Indian thali and then settled for some more Zzzs.

We woke up towards early evening and decided to seek out a tea shop or what is commonly known as chai wallah. We found one about 500 m away. Its proprietor was Mr. A Veera Raghavan and the tea stall is called AVR tea and real estate (pretty enterprising...tea maker & real estate owner, rolled in one). Stray dogs roamed the area and I could not help but take kindly to them and feed them a biscuit or two on this and our subsequent trips to this shop. We settled for a quiet evening at the resort. Dinner has to be ordered well in advance here as it is made to order. Once we finished our meal, we called it a day.

Devmitra:

We woke the next day and set out for a walk to Mr. Veera Raghavan's tea stall. After our morning ablutions, we set off on the sight seeing trip in the car that we had arranged for the previous day. Our driver Karthik picked us up at 9:30 and drove us to Pagoda Point. This is a view point about 3 kms. uphill from Grange Resort. We were among the first few to arrive here and so found the place absolutely devoid of any other save for the flower & trinkets vendor. This gave us ample time to take in the beautiful view and admire the peculiar vegetation unique to the area. The view from this point is a trifle restricted but the height makes up for this. One can gaze on the verdant spread on the hills as well as the fields surrounding the tiny hamlets below. Most spots in Yercaud are not as covered in mist as other hill stations that are at greater heights, but nevertheless the view is peaceful and resting. From Pagoda Point, we drove first to the Rajrajeswari temple where we had the prasadam of coconut rice and then to the highest point in Yercaud, the Shevaroyan temple. The temple is a narrow and dark cave having the God Servarayan and the Goddess Kaveri inside, which is believed as the Shevaroy Hills and the Cauvery River. The entrance to the cave is a little low and tall visitors should watch out lest they knock their heads on the roof, but once inside, it is a spacious and peaceful temple. After darshan, we walked down to another view point which offered a good view of lush vegetation. Also due to the increase in height, the hills here were shrouded in blankets of mist. This seemed to be a popular spot as it was teeming with tourists, nevertheless the few minutes spent here felt nice.

During the course of our research regarding Yercaud, we were convinced that there were 3 spots that we HAD to visit - Lady's Seat, Gent's Seat and Children's Seat - simply because we found the names really funny! So we headed off to Lady's Seat next. This view point offers a great view of the Ghat road. Also the particular hilltop was teeming with monkeys and Shantanu was fascinated by their antics. Truth be told, even I could not help but be captured by their tomfoolery; there was no telling what these guys would be up to next. One moment, one of them would shower oodles of affection on a fellow primate, the next she would whack him hard for some misdemeanor which we failed to notice. The little ones seemed to be more curious and nimble, they hardly rested at one spot and scampered here and there amid the more languid adults. Having enjoyed the shenanigans of our ancestral cousins, we stepped down and decided to feed on some mirchi bhajjis. For the uninitiated, this is a snack made by dipping tall, thick peppers into a thick batter and frying them in hot oil. This can be found in most parts of South India and are wonderful to bite into on a rainy or wintry day. Unlike the ones that I have eaten at Hyderabad, the peppers here are thicker. We washed down the bhajjis with a cup of steaming hot coffee and were ready to hit the road again.
From Lady's Seat, we drove to the combined view point of Gent's Seat and Children's Seat. The view from here was also nice, albeit at a lesser height. Unlike the solitude and calm that we were lucky to experience at Pagoda Point, this place was crawling with tourists - couples, families, friends, all eager to capture the memory of having visited this spot on film...correction, on pixels. From the view point, a short walk leads to the Rose Garden. This is a vast spread of land home to many plants, creepers and trees. It was fun exploring the entire site, trying to identify the different trees. By the time, we got back to the car, it was around 12:30 pm. We requested Karthik to stop for a lunch break before driving us back to the hotel, but he declared that the terms of our contract clearly stipulate that we could either get a drop till the hotel or till the city center - no waiting time. Further, he asserted, lunch in these parts would be ready only by 1:30. We convinced him to give us few minutes in some hotels around the lake while we asked around and found that he was absolutely right. Faced with no other choice, we drove back to the hotel. We were not very keen on having another heavy South Indian meal and so requested the restaurant folks to supply us with some bread. This must have been a first for the team - bread and butter for lunch in the land of rice, sambar and curds! No wonder they looked surprised!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing and generally taking it very easy. The evening saw us head to Veera Raghavan's stall for tea and some more exploration of the woods behind the cottage. Shantanu found a huge flutter of butterflies of assorted sizes and colors on one of his many escapes. The spread of raw and untouched natural beauty in the form of amazingly beautiful flowers and busy creatures offered a feast for the eyes and it was only with extreme reluctance that we retired to our room as dusk crept in. Despite the enthusiasm and promptness of the restaurant staff in asking for our dinner order, the menu at Grange did not offer much variety and so we settled for Fried Rice and Mixed Veg Curry. Yearning for a change in taste, we decided to explore Kitchen on Call the next day. Apparently this is an On call food service run by a couple settled in Yercaud, the website speaks of delicious treats that they offer. We went to bed that night dreaming of yummy rolls and cakes that we could sample in the morrow.

The final day of our vacation saw us awake at leisure and set out on a walk downhill after breakfast. We first struck a deal with a cab driver for our trip down to Salem the next day on our way back home and then decided to explore the place. On agenda today was a visit to the lake, adjoining parks and a sumptuous lunch courtesy Kitchen on Call. However this was not to be; a phone call revealed that the owner of the deli was on vacation and so they were not delivering that day. No harm done, we thought, as we settled for our second choice - The Lake Forest, a restaurant that we had spotted at the foot of the road that connected Grange to the center of the town. Incidentally this is a Club Mahindra Resort and had advertised an ongoing Food Mela. We worked up our appetites by exploring the Anna Park and the Lake View Garden which lie at the center of the town and offer a good view of the lake. Despite being small in size, these are both well maintained and for a small price, one can spend hours in here admiring the flora and fauna. Of the two, Anna Park was the busier one as it offered rides for children while Lake View Garden offered a chance to find a shady nook and assimilate one's thoughts while gazing out into the pale blue waters. It was close to 1 when we headed for a sumptuous lunch of Malabar Parathas and Chicken Curry at the Lake Forest. Partly ridden by the guilt of a heavy meal but more importantly, because we had nothing better to do, we walked up back to our resort.

In the evening, we were torn between snatching as many peaceful moments as possible in this small town haven and settling matters before our trip back the next day. Dinner was a simple meal of Roti and Aloo Gobi, thanks to the receptionist who convinced the restaurant to prepare a different curry. The next day we bid adieu to Veera Raghavan as well as the resort as we set off on our descent to Salem at 7 am. The train to Chennai was scheduled to leave at 9:30 am and true to its punctuality, we found it delayed by more than an hour when we reached the Salem Railway station. We grabbed a breakfast of Uttappam and coffee before settling on the platform at the station for the long wait for the train. At this point, I was really thankful that Shantanu had booked us on a later flight to Hyderabad even if it meant that it would be almost 10 by the time we reach home. We reached Chennai at almost 5 pm and had a short meal there. The drive to the airport was interrupted by the rush hour traffic, yet we managed to make it with some time to spare. An hour flight later, we reached Hyderabad replete with memories of our short but relaxed vacation to Yercaud.

Basar by road

2010-03-14T16:27:00.009+05:30

Shantanu:

Basar, the abode of godess Saraswati on the banks of river Godavari, was on my radar for quite some time. Therefore we set off on a Saturday morning after completing my initial research. From Gachibowli, we took the road to Bowenpally and on the way we picked up my parents-in-lawwho accompanied us. The four of us then proceeded towards Medchal Highway or NH7 in my car, a 2007 model Zen Estillo. Morning traffic was thin, but once we hit NH7, it was smooth ride all along and I pressed hard on the accelerator. The road is fabulous, except for the fact that errant pedestrians step on to the highway without any fear of their lives, bullock carts occasionally create problems, esp. while coming from wrong side and a few intrepid cyclists occupy the high speed lanes. Any way, on most stretches I could manage a speed of 120 kmph to 130 kmph, which is the highest speed I have driven since my first driving lesson on a German Autobahn. We reached the toll plaza in no time and paid Rs. 115 for the two way travel (Rs 75 for one way for a car). After that villages and small towns zoomed past. I must say this part of NH7 is very well planned, with exit roads, parking spots, bus bays, shoulders, lanes for cyclists and other privileges like emergency telephone (Luckily I did not have the misfortune of using these to see if they actually work). But I must say that roadside facilities like rest rooms are not aplenty.

By 8.30 Am we reached Kamareddy, about 120 Km from Hyderabad, where we encountered a Haritha (APTDC inn). It was a good opportunity for all passengers to stretch the legs a bit. We had idly, vada and dosa for breakfast with homemade coffee. Thus refueled, we set on for the next bit of travel.

After sometime, the good NH7 gave way to a bad NH7, a single lane on either side with overloaded trucks and buses plying on the same route. The transition was so sudden that we doubted if we had made a wrong turn...and then we read the signboard - Nagpur 384 Km. We "are" on NH7 still, but what a metamorphosis! Even Kafka could not have imagined it.

Anyway, the rural scenery made up for the bad road. We passed through immaculate villages and wherever we saw a nice looking pakka house, Devmitra quipped - "this must be belonging to the Sarpanch or the village head!" It can well be the case; the vast amounts of money pumped into the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sarak Yojana, is meant to build good village roads. However these pass through the hands of village heads and other political figures and we could see very little evidence of roads being constructed.

Nizamabad was another 50 odd Km away. We took a left from a place called Dichpalli on the highway and the railway track came to our left. This road, a state highway which goes to Nizamabad and then to Bodhan, is like almost all state highways, in a dilapidated state, but not yet completely broken as to draw attention from the authorities. We passed a big lake on our left side called Ashok Sagar which was there on the mapmyindia map I carried. There is a statue of godess Saraswati in the middle of the lake, which we saw on our way back.

After sometime we came almost near Nizamabad town where we had to ask for directions multiple times before getting on to the right road. In a land where navigation is mostly carried out through landmarks rather than well-defined street names & numbers, here are the directions for you - drive through Nizamabad town until you come to a junction where there is a statue of probably Indira Gandhi (too difficult to make out while driving), take a right turn, go through a market place, come to another junction (again with a statue) and take a left where you hit the Bodhan highway. After about 20 Km on this, you need to take a right turn, cross another level crossing and hit the road towards Basar. You will cross Navipet from where Basar is another 22 Km. The railway line will again come to left side after crisscrossing the roads several times. By the time we navigated this myriad and crossed Godavari it was almost 10.30 AM. We could see the temple and the Ghat but could not identify the right road, so we asked at a petrol station employee who showed us a "kaccha rasta" which meets a "pakka rasta". In another 15 min we reached the temple. Later we realized that we could have avoided the kaccha rasta and taken the main road only to reach the temple.

Darshan in the temple was swift and short, the temple attendants ensure that discipline is maintained even if that eats into the time that you desire to spend with the deity. We then decided to visit the Vyas Guha or cave where sage Veda Vyasa purportedly carried out his penance. This is reached by navigating a long flight of stairs behind the temple. The cave itself is very narrow which opens into a wider space. Excellent ambiance for meditation!

The Godavari ghat is not worth visiting because it is too dirty. Why do we destroy our own natural resources is beyond me! May be because of absymal lack of education, or may be because we lack the mentality to maintain anything good for the sake of community.

We started our return journey at around 12.30 Pm and took the pakka road all along. Despite initial confusion, we managed to take the right roads. We got caught at a level crossing for about 10 min but fortunately it was a passenger train. We decided to have lunch at Haritha (the same one at which we had breakfast in the morning) and reached there at around 2.30 PM, after I refuelled my car. By 3.15 PM we started and reached Hyderabad by 5 PM. Devmitra drove the last 50 Km stretch.

some more travel tales

2009-05-10T13:00:00.015+05:30

Shantanu:

To quote Tagore's poem -

bahudin dhore bahukrosh dure,

bahu byay kori bahu desh ghure,

dekhite giyachhi parbatmala, dekhite giyachhi sindhu,

dekha hoi nai chokkhu meliya,

ghar hote sudhu dui pa pheliya,

ekti dhaner sisher upore ekti sishir bindu.

Translating the sense - I have travelled for days, covered miles and spent thousands to see countries, mountains and rivers in far off places. But I missed seeing the beauty of the tiny dew drop on a leaf just outside my house, which shines in the sunlight.

Sometimes, what is obvious, what is within the reach, is ignored and its beauty is not appreciated, and yet, probably that, when noticed, gives us the maximum pleasure.

Adding another perspective from Tagore's elder brother Dijendranath's collection:

ichha sammak bhraman gamone

kintu patheyo nasti

paye shikli mon uru uru

eki doiber shasti

I want to travel but I have no money. Like a caged bird, I want to fly and yet tethered to my cage, what a misfortune!

This might be a lament from many a wannabe travellers who are severely constrained financially and yet, want to visit places. However, even at a moderate to low budget, travel to exotic locations are possible; but off the beaten track and not the heavily commercialized places. For instance, in Europe, we found Austria to be far better in terms of natural beauty and cheaper than Switzerland. But Austria is not as popular tourist destination as Switzerland is. One obvious limitation of such a strategy is more often the lack of tourist infrastructure in such places, esp. in the context of poorer countries like India. No hotelier would set up a decent hotel where there is little demand. More often, any recently discovered exotic location does not remain secluded for long, as information flows thick and fast.

To travel by train is of course a cheaper alternative to flights esp. if you have some time to spare and companions with whom you can enjoy the travel. Faster than fairies, faster than witches, bridges and mountains, hedges and ditches - all glide past and you enjoy the serenity of the country side, often on a rainwashed day esp. during monsoon seasons when lush green vegetation is a feast of eye. As stations come and go, you fill yourself up with hot chai, pakodas, samosas, watch the crowd jostling on the platforms, wheeze past other slow moving trains. When the train enters a tunnel, it's a mysterious environment, like a stage set for an Agatha Christie whodunnit novel. When it goes over a huge and monstrous river bridge, you simply stare in amazement at the vast expanse of water, the occassional one or two boats floating or men fishing, and far away, in the horizon, the looming picture of the setting sun. Wonderful, isn't it? Well, a train journey may not be quite romantic as it sounds, but it certainly has its attractions.

Have you ever ridden a rickety bus to your destination? Say, a 6 hour bus journey, some portion of which is spent climbing uphill? The days of rickety buses are almost over even in India. Of late, there are quite a few Volvo buses which are as comfortable as train journey. Take for instance the bus from Mumbai to Pune, at night. You will stop at Lonavala to sip a warm cup of tea or perhaps enjoy a packet of chikoo. During daytime, you will feast your eyes on the beauty of the Sahyadri. And the vast tracks of fields passing by with farmers busy cultivating, or one or two sugarcane laden bullock carts coming from opposite direction, may keep you busy all the way, unless the bus has a loud in house entertainment set, which may painfully distract your imagination.

On road or rail, however you travel, your journey will always hold an element of surprise at every corner, which you would miss in air travel. And if you want to resonate with the very first poem with which this rambling begins, what are you doing sitting in a corner of your house, sipping coffee and looking at the monitor? Go and explore any unknown, serene part of your city or town that you have never visited before, or perhaps go for a trek. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover that your findings will be no less valuable to yourself than Columbus's discovery of the New Land.

Deshe Bideshe 20 - Munnar

2009-04-06T14:47:00.045+05:30

Devmitra:

Nilgiri beauty - Munnar

It was almost a year since we had taken a vacation and both of us badly felt the need for a getaway. As is with most trips, we evaluated different options some of them being Munnar, Coorg, Kalimpong and Gangtok. After a great deal of thought & research, we settled on Munnar. This hill station is located at a height of 1600 - 1800 mts above sea level in the Idukki district of Kerala and was once the summer resort of the British. The nearest airport to Munnar is Cochin from where a 3 - 4 hour journey by road takes one to Munnar. We booked our flight tickets and also contacted the travel agent Munnar Holidays http://www.munnarholidays.com/ for a 3 night 4 day package deal.

We set off on 10th April. The afternoon sun beat down on us vigorously as we drove to the airport to catch our Indigo flight to Cochin. This was to be Shantanu's first drive to the airport via the ORR and my second. The Outer Ring Road serves to connect different parts of the Hyderabad city to the new airport at Shamshabad. It is purported as one of the key achievements of the local government and the traffic on this road is comparatively lesser than on the other routes to the airport. Nevertheless there is still work going on in many sections of the road and the connecting roads from some parts of the city have either not begun or are under construction. The street lights are still not operational and so night time driving can be dangerous. It is evident that the road has been inaugrated in a haste with an eye on "electoral benefits". Also it is amazing how openly rules are flouted in this city and how careless the authorities are in their implementation. While a board at the entrance clearly indicates that heavy vehicles are not permitted, trucks seem to fearlessly ply on this road!

The drive to the airport and the onward journey was uneventful and we reached Cochin airport http://www.cochin-airport.in/ at around 6 in the evening. Our first view of the city from the aircraft was green - tall trees over the entire area. Living in Hyderabad where trees are being felled down every second day in the name of progress and with no replacement in its place, the Keralean landscape was a sight for sore eyes. The plan was to spend the night in the Abad Airport hotel http://www.abadhotels.com/airporthotel/index.html?livserv_cs_id=2103996 & drive to Munnar the next morning. Cochin airport appeared impressive; it is set up in a public - private partnership model. But the departure lounge was deserted at that hour. The counter for Abad hotels at the airport also was empty. Our research had said that the hotel was within walking distance from the airport & so we decided to venture out by ourselves. However after a point, we were not sure of the direction to proceed in and so headed back to the airport. Enquiries with the policeman standing there revealed that there was no auto stand & the only alternative was to take a pre paid taxi. Better safe than sorry in an alien city was our philosophy and so we stood in the queue for the taxi. Ahead of us was a large party enquiring about transport options to Sabarimalai. They seemed to be taking a really long time and so I had to barge in with my request for a city trip to the hotel. The kind folks at the counter suggested we enquire at the hotel's counter as the minimum fare for the taxi - Rs. 250 would be too expensive. Luckily for us the gentleman had returned to the counter and once we showed him our reservation, he promptly called a cab that drove us to the airport. It was a little confusing when the hotel rep started talking to me in Malayalam; apparently he thought I was a local resident. Wonder what gave him that impression...? Anyways, we checked into the hotel and after dinner & a long conversation reminiscing about the old days, we turned in for the night.

We woke early the next morning. The hotel serves buffet breakfast starting at 6:30 am and we went down to share a quiet and early meal. The crowd at the hotel seemed to comprise mostly of pilots & other airport personnel. After a relaxed spread of idlis, dosas served

with yummy tomato chutney and topped off with coffee/tea, we headed back to our room to freshen up & collect our luggage. The Innova arrived promptly at 8:30 and along with our driver Syed, we set off. The weather was cloudy and after about an hour's drive, we stopped for a break at a shop where we stocked on water, biscuits & banana chips. By the time we started our climb on the mountains, it started raining slightly. The road was good albeit narrow and at times, we had to wait for traffic passing in the opposite direction. The rain brought out the chilly weather. I had kept sweaters handy and was the first to bundle up; Shantanu bravely faced

the cold for a while but ultimately gave up. If someone had told me 24 hours ago that I would be wearing a sweater in the month of April, I would definetely have branded him a lunatic! Anyway the cold weather & rain offered some glorious sights along the climb. The mist came down on the mountains in some sort of a conspirational whisper. Tea gardens streched out on the slopes like a thick green carpet. Waterfalls gurgled down the face of the mountains quite like an excited child who has to speak out all his stories in one breath. We stopped at the Athukadu falls, on the Adimaly road and attempted to capture its beauty on film.

Finally we reached Munnar city at around 12:30 pm. We had a room booked at Windy Hills http://www.windyhills.in/ - we were impressed with the suite like room layout they had shown on their website. However this is a new hotel and the driver seemed unsure of its exact location. Also the approach to the hotel is through a narrow road followed by a short 2 min walk. The hotel is still under construction and does not even have a signboard or a reception to its name. More bad news as we attempted to check in - our room was not yet ready. While we waited, the hotel folks tried to ready the room for us. However I did not like the view from the room - it was on the first floor & the view of the mountains that was much acclaimed on the website was restricted by the other wing of the hotel still under construction. So I asked the guys for options & they showed us another room which was currently occupied but the people occupying it wished to change. We opted for that room & asked the hotel folks to get it ready while we had lunch at the restaurant of the neighbouring resort Great Escapes - apparently lunch at our hotel would not be ready before 2. The restaurant we stepped into seemed no better. It was still being cleaned and so we waited at the reception & placed our order. Once the cleaning was done, we stepped in & had a sumptuous lunch of Kerala parathas, chicken chettinad & vegetable jalfrezi. We then headed back to our room. The room condition was not very satisfactory - maybe it was our mistake that we took a room that was already occupied. But the least we could expect was clean towels & sheets which were delivered only after we asked for them. We bargained with the one guy Jagadish who seemed to be managing the entire place & was the only one who spoke English - tomorrow he HAD to change us to a better room on the top floor. He agreed and we decided to put up with the hardships for a day. We then took a short nap and by the time we woke up, the sun had already set. Since the room had a kitchenette, I asked if we could atleast get a kettle & some cups so that we could make our own tea & coffee - sadly this is not the case. We ordered coffee in the room (Jagadish himself asked us not to go to the restaurant as it is still not ready) and then went out for a long walk in the woods. The view on our walk left us spell bound - we saw beautiful birds & insects. Also cows from the nearby sheds grazed on the grass maintaining a wonderful balance on the mountain slopes. We settled down on a rock by the road side & took in our beautiful serene surroundings. By the time we headed back, the temperatures seemed to drop rapidly & our room got really chilly thus obliterating the need for a fan or an AC. We spent the evening on the balcony enjoying the sights (what was possible anyway. In addition to the restricted view, our woes were compounded by a noisy group of people who were occupying the opposite rooms). Dinner was rice, daal & chilli chicken. Since the hotel is still under construction, management seemed to be chaotic - while we ordered for 2 plates of rice, only 1 was delivered. We had to again remind them of the 2nd plate before it was sent up to our room.

More trouble when we woke the next morning. The power situation in Munnar appears to be in a sorry state. Every 1 to 2 hours, the power would be off and in the morning, we realised it had been off the whole of the previous night. Result? The motor was switched off & so there was no water in the bathroom! This was the limit! Shantanu & I pride ourselves that we are pretty accomodative, but no water in a hotel bathroom is unthinkable in these days. Also it was getting on to be 7 am & not a soul was seen around the hotel. Finally Jagadish arrived & we and other residents were able to vent out our frustration. He switched on the motor & asked one of the other men to turn on the generator. This brought in the water, but for hardly an hour. Turned out that there was some repair work carried out the previous day & something appeared to have gone wrong in that. All the hotel staff started delivering buckets of cold water to each room. This was too much for us. We called Munnar Holidays & asked to be moved to a different hotel immediately. The travel agents were also pretty understanding & sent down the car within half an hour. We settled our dues with a very apologetic Jagadish, loaded our bags into the car & drove off.

Syed was to drive us to Mettupatty for sight seeing but changed plans due to the incessant drizzle. Instead we drove to the Eravikulam National Park. There was a long queue for the tickets & so we decided to catch this on our way back. We then drove to Lakkom waterfalls.

The approach to the falls was quite a hike but the sights were worth it. One word of warning - there is a host of monkeys inhabiting this area & a little precaution would not go wasted. From Lakkom, we drove to the 93 sq.km of Marayoor sandalwood reserve forest. Rows & rows of sandal wood trees stood tall behind fences & the air was lightly scented. Apparently this is the only place in Kerala that has natural sandal wood forests. There are beween forty to sixty thousand naturally grown sandal trees in this forest. The drive to these areas is

long and can be a little tiring. When we reached Eravikulam again, it was still heavily crowded. So we decided to put it off for the next day & drove to our hotel. Reservations were made for us at the Oak Fields hotel. This is an offshoot of the KTDC owned Tea County and is tucked away in a far nook. It is basically a disputed property and the outcome of the court case is still awaited. The rooms were good, albeit slightly old but for us, more importantly, there was water in the bathroom! It was lunch time when we reached the hotel. Apparently lunch is made to order & so we placed our order for fried rice, fish molly and vegetable curry. While lunch was served, we played a round of carroms in the reception. Food was good, but since this is a government run hotel, it was on the pricier side. We took a short nap & after a cup of coffee in the evening, we went out

for a walk. We found a path that went into the tea gardens and had a great time exploring the country side. For dinner we opted for a simpler meal of rice, daal & vegetables which we had in the hotel's restaurant. While we ate, a huge moth flew in & hovered around the place unsure of how to get out. Not only was the size big, the colours & marks on its wings were most exquisite. The waiter tried to carry it out but in vain. Finally he switched off all the lights except a distant one and the moth settled on the same. We were'nt carrying the camera, else a picture of such a beautiful creature deserves to be captured.

The itinerary for the next day comprised the Mattupetty area. We had ordered for a breakfast of idly dosa. Wrong choice as it seemed to take infinetely long for it to be prepared. While we waited at the restaurant, we met Vinod who was one of the restaurant staff. He offered us some toast & coffee while we waited for the meal that we had ordered. We were almost ready to leave after eating this, luckily we did'nt because Vinod shortly served delicious dosas with steaming hot sambar and chutney. If we were'nt pressed for time, we would probably have eaten more. As it is I ended up ordering for some more coffee & this delayed us further. Finally I went up to the room to get ready while Shantanu took a short walk.

The previous day Syed had suggested catching a Kathakali show, but we had to give it a

miss due to time constraints. Today we decided to attend the show and so our first stop for the day was at the Mudra office to buy the tickets for the 6:30 show that evening. We then drove to the Rose show just outside the Munnar city. It offered an impressive display of plants & flowers. We then set off for the Mattupetty area. This drive has the sights spaced at shorter distances. We visited the Matupetty dam which harnesses the rainy water. Apparently between the months of July and September, it rains incessantly in Munnar thus offering a rich source of water. There was a boat ride and an elephant ride in the plan, but we decided to give these a pass. We then drove to Echo point followed by the Kundali plantations and lake. The lake offers a beautiful scenic spot for a family picnic or a quiet getaway. By the time we got back to Munnar city, it was lunch time and so we grabbed a quick bite at Sarvanna Bhavan. We then headed off to try our luck today at the Eravikulam National Park. The queue today was shorter, however just when we got to the counter, it was shut for lunch! Luckily it opened within 10 - 15 mins and we were able to get our ticket. From the entrance, park buses ply & navigate a 4 km long further climb to the main tourist area; private vehicles are not allowed here. From the entrance, there is a kilometer long path on which trekking is allowed. The main body of the park has an area of 97 sq.km and consists of a high rolling hill plateau with a base elevation of 2000 m. The park also houses Anamudi - the tallest peak in South India at a height of 2695 m. The park is home to the Nilgiri Tahr, an almost extinct species of mountain goat. The view on the drive up the mountains was spectacular - tall mountains shrouded in mist. We started on the trek and caught sight of a huge male Nilgiri tahr as well as a female and a kid. They seemed to be calm creatures keen on grazing on the grass quite oblivious to their surroundings. We spent almost an hour at the park after which we caught a bus back to the entrance from where we drove back to Munnar city for some shopping.

The main city is pretty small and is warmer than the surrounding mountains which house most of the hotels. Our driver dropped us at Krishna, a reputed store for spices, tea, oils & handicrafts and agreed to pick us up at 6 for the Kathakali performance. We shopped for tea, sandal wood and souvenirs after which we had coffee at a small joint. After strolling around the city for a while, we caught up with our driver & drove down for the show. When we bought the tickets that morning, we knew we were one of the first few. But when we got to the venue, we found that we were the only people attending the show that evening. Another elderly couple drove in a little while later & that was it! Kind of like a private performance :-). Since we arrived a little early, we were able to see the artists get ready. We saw how multiple thick jute bags are threaded around the waist of the artist forming the base of the flared costume and jewellery.

He then wore loads of ornaments and other accessories. The show started with a 15 min. demo of the instruments, exercises, the 9 facial expressions - amour, humour, fear, pathos, anger, valor, disgust, wonder and peace, the 24 mudras or hand gestures and some small items that are commonly used in this dance form. The story being performed that evening was Narakasura vadha. It was an entertaining and impressive show which I thoroughly enjoyed. By the time the show was over, it had gotten dark and the mist was slowly coming down. We drove back to the hotel for dinner and called it a day.

The next day was the local festival of Vishu. We were to drive back to Cochin to catch our return flight. We set off after breakfast joined by Vinod who was travelling to his hometown of Calicut. Syed seemed to be in a great hurry as he drove at almost break neck speed and brought us to the airport with almost an hour to spare. The journey back was uneventful although we had a tough time locating our cab at the Hyderabad airport. Finally we caught a different cab & returned home with memories of a beautiful town and holiday.

Deshe Bideshe 19 - Copenhagen

2009-04-01T14:41:00.036+05:30

Shantanu:

The SAP based software system that we were designing for Daimler was to be implemented in their Scandinavian market in June 2005 and so we travelled to Copenhagen every week from earlier that year. However these were strictly business trips - catch the 7:00 am flight from Stuttgart on Monday, shuttle between the office and the hotel until Friday evening when we caught the flight back home; tight schedules and the nature of the work left little scope for sight seeing. Also our wedding date was fixed and so Devmitra & I had our personal agenda of making sure that our work was neatly tied up before we left for India. In the months leading up to the final Go Live, it was made mandatory that one member from each team necessarily be present at the Copenhagen office every week and we normally took turns for the same. However one of our team members was unable to travel on his scheduled date due to a death in his family and so asked us if we could fill in for him over a weekend to minimize travel costs. A chance to spend a weekend in Copenhagen? That gives us a chance to visit the city! We bargained for permission for the two of us to travel which was agreed to and all arrangements were immediately made including a weekend stay over 6th and 7th May.

Copenhagen was a fishing village of Denmark in the 10th century. It then grew into a prosperous city through commercial activities centred around its Haven or port. Since world war 2, when it was occupied by German forces, Kobnhavn or Kopenhagen has grown tremendously. The Oresund Bridge is a combined two-track rail and four-lane road bridge across the Oresund strait. It is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe and connects Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmoe. The airport is located in Kastrup and on the way to Malmoe. It's a small but nice and well organized airport with all amenities.

The people in Copenhagen in particular and the Scandinavan countries in general have an excellent quality of life. Even though they are vibrant democracies and rich countries, they follow a socialist tradition. Denmark has a monarchy with Queen Margarethe II at the head. The royal family's summer retreat is the Amelionberg Palace. However Denmark is remarkably egalitarian with no special treatment for royal family even when they are on road (lessons to be learned by our politicos who take the slightest opportunity to display how special and different they are from the masses). Denmark has free healthcare and education, though taxes here are very high.

Before we proceed, an apology to the readers of this post. As this was an official trip, the idea of carrying a camera slipped both our minds. So sadly, we do not have any pictures of this trip :-(. Work done on Friday evening, we checked into our rooms at Hotel Fox http://www.hotelfox.dk/. This was our first stay at this hotel and frankly, even though the website boasts of an 'alternate' experience, we were not sure what to expect. For starters, we were asked by the receptionist, to pick our rooms from a computerised catalouge. Pick our rooms at a hotel? That's a first! Anyway, I opted for Room no. 510 while Devmitra picked 508. These rooms are unlike any other hotel room that I have stayed in at least. The walls of Devmitra's room were painted a pale yellow and adorned with pictures of modern mythical creatures while my room seemed to radiate the colour blue. Later we spent a leaisurely evening strolling along Stroegate, the longest pedestrian shopping area in Europe, a walking distance from the hotel. Stroeget starts at Radhusplatzen or the town hall square which is a sprawling area with several junctions and intersections. Vehicular traffic is strictly forbidden and only bicycles and pedestrains have access to the long alleyway with its several branches and subbranches. There are many famous shops laden with expensive brands, souvenir shops, restaurants and fast food joints on the way. Stroegate ends at Kongens Nytorv or King's new square. This is near the Nyhavn area which is a harbour for the Danish canal which crisscrosses the city. We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Papa's located in Skindergade, near Stroeget. This was my first experience of the Mexican cuisine; Devmitra had sampled the food before in Copenhagen itself. What we like about the Mexican spread is its proximity to Indian cuisine while maintaining its own distinctive flavor. Papa's Cantina restaurant features a combination of Italian and Mexican cuisine at knock-down prices. Situated in a basement, the restaurant has a distinct "Wild Wild West" influence with guns and cowboy hats adorning the walls.

The next day being a Saturday, we woke up late, had a lazy breakfast and then began to plan our trip for the day. After a lot of deliberation it was finally decided to embark on a city tour of Copenhagen. Denmark was celebrating one of its worthy sons - it was Hans Christian Andersen's birth bi centenary that year. Footsteps marking frequent walking paths that this notable author frequently took were marked out on pavements and we began to follow the same, like other tourists. We have all read Hans Andersen stories - the most famous being Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, Ugly Duckling, Emperor's new clothes etc. The weather was pleasant as we strolled along this busy road accompanied by people from in and out of the country. Walking is indeed a pleasure when you have no fear of colliding into a huge shopping mall or of being knocked down by some or the other odd vehicle. After walking for sometime along Stroeget, we felt very hungry and promptly went to a "desi" or a South East Asian restaurant near our hotel after which we went back to the hotel for some rest and siesta.

At around 4.30 Pm (summer days in Europe stretch till 8 Pm in the evening), we set out for further exploration. Walking towards Stroeget we stumbled upon Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum and promptly bought ourselves two tickets. This is near Radhusplatzen and is apparently the only Ripley's museum in Europe. Don't remember much except Devmitra's fear of the rotating tunnel (I literally dragged her along :-) ), the two headed calf, and the punch bag which records the force of punch and compares it with that of the world heavyweight champion (I tried my luck, but mine was just a tenth of that benchmark figure; I did not utilize all my strength ;-) ).

Walking along Stroeget we reached NyHavn. Here we opted for a city tour by boat. This is the oldest part of the Copenhagen harbour that was built in 1670s. In old times, the sailors' quarters were located here. The Vikings were a seafaring lot and in keeping with this tradition, the sea forms the principal mode of trade and commercial activities in this area. NyHavn is now a very busy commercial area, bristling with activities and modern amenities, although some parts still have a "naughty" tag attached.

Coming back to our trip, the sights featured on the canal tour from Nyhavn include the Christiansborg Palace, the Copenhagen Opera House, Holmen, the Little Mermaid statue, the Amalienborg Palace/Garden and the Danish Royal Library (The Black Diamond). We first saw the Christianborg Palace on the bank. Home to Denmark's three supreme powers - the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, this palace contains the Royal Reception Rooms, the Queen's Library, the Sovereign in Council rooms, the Chapel, Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister's office.

We also saw many Danish houses near the canal. After sometime the canal opened to a larger body of water. It was a bright sunny day, the structures on the bank formed dream like silhouttes against the blue sky. As the boat made its way through the water, we passed the Opera house. This is a specimen of the prowess of modern architecture. It is located opposite to Amelienborg palace. It was opened pretty recently, in January 2005. Our guide said something about the huge construction costs; a later wikipedia search revealed that construction cost was half a billion USD! The house is administered by the Royal Danish theatre and is the national opera house of Denmark.

The Amelienborg palace is another attraction worth mentioning. This is the winter home of the Danish royal family. We did not get a chance to explore this palace, but it certainly looked glorious from the boat. Nearby is the marble church, another attraction from 16th century.

The cruise takes about one and half hour, so we spent some time on water before reaching the Black Diamond or Danish Library. This is the national library of Denmark and largest in the Nordic. In 1999 a new building was constructed adjacent to the old building, and it was called Black Diamond, because of the unique outer cover of black marble & glass and the shape of the building.

Holmen is an old Naval base and presently a residential area. So nothing much to say about it, but we were caught by the Little Mermaid bronze statue. I bet you are all familar with the story of Little Mermaid. If not, brush up your F-Q, i.e. fairy tale quotient. Hans Andersen was a prolific writer ( I bought my niece a a story book from Copenhagen airport, I had read some of his works in my childhood) and this is one of his most repeated tales. It tells the story of a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. The statue of Little Mermaid, commissioned in 1909, sits on a rock in Langelinie. Sadly, despite being the symbol that Copenhagen is identified within and the world over, she has been the target of many attacks by vandals. The visit to this iconic landmark concluded our canal cruise. We returned to the city centre to have dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, another joint favourite with Devmitra.

The next day we decided to explore the Baltic sea. We consulted our hotel receptionist on how to get there. (On most of our travels we have consulted hotel receptionsts about local attractions and modes of travel. They are excellent information providers; besides they have a sense of duty and obligation to their guests and hence will provide accurate advice). He suggested Amager strand beach, which is accessible by metro. We therefore walked down towards the nearby metro station at Vesterport. From there it took us around 20 min to reach Amager. A wide nature park welcomed us before we walked down towards the beach. There was lush greenery on which hungry horses feasted and some horse drawn carts for the tourists. The locals were either riding horses or cycling or simply walking. The beach area is known as Amager Strandpark. We reached the beach which was white and sandy. There were some kids running around, but overall the beach was quite empty. We could see the Oresund bridge and the wind energy generators in the distance. That gave us a vague idea of the location of the Kastrup airport. I, was however disappointed by the beach and the sea; it seemed so calm and tranquil. There was hardly any wave, it resembled a placid lake than a raging sea. Later we realized that it was part of large lagoon and not exactly the sea. After a random stroll along the beach, we decided to get back. By the time we got back to the city, the sun was directly overhead and we were ravenous. We therefore swiftly entered a Burger King and comforted ourselves with chicken burgers and fries (my favourite :)).

We had planned to spend the evening in Tivoli gardens. Devmitra had already visited this on an earlier trip. Tivoli gardens is a famous amusement park right adjacent to the city centre. It is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world and was opened in 1843. The park is best known for its wooden roller coaster. We were greeted after entry by a nice procession of fairy tale characters coming straight out of Hans Andersen's books. We saw the Tivoli guards, who are mere boys dressed in Royal Guard uniforms. We enjoyed every show and since Devmitra was extremely afraid of all forms of rides, I had to contend with an experience on one harmless ride and just walked passed the famous roller coaster with a sigh. By the time we left Tivoli it was 8 PM and we were hungry. The Hard Rock Cafe once located practically next door to Tivoli again provided us the well deserved rest and food.

Monday evening we went strolling as far as the Vor Frue Kirke or the Church of our lady, in Vor Frue plads near Strogate and Kopenhagen University after work. The Protestant Church is old but serene and beautiful (it is the national cathedral of Denmark). The area nearby (Plads) is a complete pedestrain zone with cobbled streets . We finally dined to good music at an Italian restaurant bang opposite Papas.

Come Tuesday & we headed back to Stuttgart after work. Though we did visit Copenhagen a few times after this trip, we treasure the memories of this short but beautiful chance to explore this wonderful city.

Deshe Bideshe 17 - Lisbon

2008-11-21T12:02:00.051+05:30

Devmitra:

17th June 2006 - our first wedding anniversary. I guessed Shantanu was planning a trip for this occassion; he had that look of one with something up his sleeve for many days. Turned out I was right - my dear husband had planned for us to celebrate our one year of married bliss along the Atlantic coast in Lisbon or Lisboa, the capital city of Portugal. Unfortunately times were not so good back home. My Dad was down with fever; the irritating fact was that the doctors were unable to diagnose his ailment and his treatment seemed to be based on much speculation. In fact, on the morning of our special day, he was hospitalised and my poor Ma was having to manage on her own. It seemed heartless on my part to go on a trip in these circumstances. But my parents, particularly Dad goaded me to go on assuring me that he would be fine. So, with a prayer in our hearts, we set off on the morning of the 17th.

We reached Lisbon before lunch and checked into our room 805 at hotel NH Campo Grande. Shantanu loves staying in properties belonging to this chain; after all, NH Utrecht has been our haven many times. Those were our initial days in Europe, alone, far away from both & adopted home working in a high visibility project. At such times, our rooms at NH where we returned in the evening welcomed us to comfortable beds, great views and yeah, a wonderful breakfast spread :-). So it was not surprising that Shantanu had chosen this hotel as the venue for our first anniversary. After a short rest, we took off to see the city. Like most European cities, Lisbon also has an excellent transport network. Trams tour the older parts of the city while the newer areas are serviced by buses and the metro. We took the subway to Rossio. Also known as Praca Dom Pedro IV, this is one of the most beautiful squares in the city. It is edged with many cafes with outdoor sitting where people had stopped for a drink or a bite to eat. On either side of the square are two huge fountains. In the center is a monument in honour of Dom Pedro IV, the 28th king of Portugal and the 1st Emperor of Brazil. At the foot of the monument are four female figures representing Justice, Wisdom, Strength and Moderation, qualities attributed to Dom Pedro himself. We had arrived in the middle of the Cow Parade 2006 celebrations in this city and so coloured figures of the animal were placed at different parts of the square and the city. This was a public art event where multi coloured fibre glass cow figures were exhibited and sold in many important cities of the world. From the square, one can catch a glimpse of the Carmo convent which we were to visit later. The Rossio square leads to the Rua Augusta, one of the main streets of Lisbon. Only pedestrian traffic is allowed on this road and it is filled with shops selling almost everything under the sun. Immigrants from Africa and South America offer items of wood, metal, or leather, while other vendors sell books, souvenirs, sunglasses, paintings, t-shirts, and anything else to attract the crowds passing by. The road also boasts of its appearance in the movie Gulliver's Travels in which the Lilliputians wheeled actor Ted Danson, as Gulliver, through the arch. However the road will remain memorable to me for other reasons; spontaneous public display of affection is not one of Shantanu's qualities, but on this occassion, he presented me this beautiful boquet of red roses! Sudden & very romantic, a very pleasant surprise :-). The Rua Augusta leads into the Commerce square or Praca de Commercio through a wide arch decorated with statues of historical personalities, like Vasco da Gama. Mostly occupied by government buildings and a few restaurants now, this majestic square was once a major entrance to Portugal via the sea route. One can still see the old marble steps leading up to Commerce Square from the River Tagus. At the centre of the Commerce Square stands the equestrian statue of King Jose I. All this walking got a bit tiring and we headed back to the hotel after lunch.

Later in the evening, we took a trip to Cascais. This is a touristic town and one of its main attractions is the Port or Marina, a luxurious facility with capacity for more than 500 vessels. The train is the best way to travel between Lisbon and Cascais with frequent trains from Lisbon's Estacao Cais do Sodre. The 25-minute trip costs Eur 1.40. As we got off at the station, we were accosted by a garrulous but friendly taxi driver who offered to show us around. He took us around the port & then in broken English communicated to us that he would take us to a beautiful spot. The ride to this "beautiful spot" was really long and I admit that I was scared if he was planning to take us to some lonely spot & do away with us, though why he would want to do so was something I failed to consider. Also the weather suddenly turned foul, it got cloudy and there were intermittent light showers. Today I am glad that I stuck it out till the end of this ride for after 30 - 35 mins of taxi drive along the Atlantic coast, we reached Caba de Roca, a cape that forms the western most point of the continent of Europe. We walked to the edge of the cliff in the failing light and saw the lighthouse. Construction of the lighthouse was completed in 1772, and the structure rises 144 meters in height above the cape. I am not sure if it was the weather or the overall atmosphere, but the experience was simply superb. It felt thrilling, even scary to think that we were standing at the edge of continental land mass and that one false step could land us in the deep blue waters of the Atlantic. And the sight of the ocean - awe inspiring as violent waves beat upon the land, as if in a competition of who could hold on longer against the other. If the weather hadn't turned really bad and if we had arrived there earlier, we would have definitely spent more time there. However, we drove back to the station to catch the train back to the city. On the way, I fell sick and the taxi driver was most helpful, he offered water and was most understanding throughout. Isn't it surprising how you can sometimes receive help from the most unexpected quarters?

The next day, we planned to visit Sintra. After breakfast, we took the train to Sintra, the 45-minute trip costs Eur 1.40. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, this is one of the most romantic areas near Lisbon. In fact, Lord Byron called it the "Golden Eden". Since it is surrounded by tall mountains, the temperatures here are relatively lower than in Lisbon city. A thick mist enveloped the entire place and rendered the place almost surreal. We first visited the Town Hall and then walked down to the National Palace or the Palacio Nacional. This was built in the 14th century and has served as the summer house for Portugese kings since then. The exterior style is a mixture of Gothic and the Manueline with a good deal of Moorish influence adapted over the centuries. The interiors are also remarkable, including some of the oldest and the most valuable tiles in Portugal. Most of the rooms have many interesting stories to tell - like the room where Afonso VI was confined for six years by his brother Pedro II and where he eventually died, the myth is that the worn floor is a result of his constant pacing up and down. Or the flock of 136 magpies painted in one of the rooms, each bearing a rose and a scroll named 'Por bem'. The story goes that when his queen Philippa wasn't looking, Dom Joao I offered a rose to a lady-in-waiting and a magpie snatched it. The King excused himself by saying 'Por bem' or 'For good'.

Sintra is unique not only because of its palaces and churches, but also due to its peculiar characteristic alleys. The streets are narrow, mostly paved with stones and flights of steps connect them in some places. We explored the city for a while & then came down to the Guincho beach that lies at the foot of the mountains. This is a famous beach in this part of the world, a popular spot for wind surfing. The water was a deep blue and the beach was beautiful and clean. Fun and games in the water done, we headed back to Lisbon city. We visited the Elevator de Santa Justa or the Elevator of Carmo. This was built in 1902 to connect downtown streets with the uphill Carmo square. It bears a close resemblance to the Eiffel tower as the architect Raoul de Mesnier du Ponsard was an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel. The 45 m tall iron lift was originally powered by steam and later converted to electrical operation in 1907. The terrace offers spectacular views of the Rossio Square and the Baixa neighbourhood. Another surprise when we reached our hotel that evening - a complimentary gift of chocolates and port wine was sent up to our room, courtesy the hotel manager. Hmmm...wonder how he found out that we were there on our anniversary...

Our last day in this beautiful Atlantic city. We decided to explore some of the older areas today. We took Tram 28, one of the many traditional yellow trams and probably Lisbon's greatest ride as it runs through the narrowest and steepest streets of the Alfama district. The tram rattles past a unique selection of old Lisbon's sights, taking travelers through winding streets, past historic buildings and many such landmarks. Our first halt was at Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa, the oldest church in the city. Since the beginning of the construction in the year 1147, the building has survived many earthquakes and been modified several times with the result that it is now a mix of different architectural styles. From here, we boarded the tram again and got off at Castelo de Sao Jorge. Research has shown that humans have occupied the site since the 6th century BC, and possibly earlier by indigenous tribes. The castle and the city of Lisbon were won from the Moors during the Second Crusade. In the late 14th century, the castle was dedicated to Saint George, the warrior-saint, usually represented fighting a dragon. This was also the setting for the reception of the navigator, Vasco da Gama, when he returned after discovering a maritime route to India in 1498. Destroyed by earthquakes, the castle's period of neglect ended in the 1940s, when an extensive renovation was undertaken and it is today one of the most significant sites in Lisbon.

By now, it was time to catch our flight back to Stuttgart. Since the tram would arrive much later, we called for a cab to take us to the hotel & thence to the airport. Locating the cab in the middle of the street was a bit of a problem. Nevertheless we made it and returned home, safe and contended.

Deshe Bideshe 15 - Uttaranchal

2008-11-18T21:56:00.131+05:30

Devmitra:

Of white water rafting, tiger sighting & capital visit - Apr 2008

We had had many trips where we visit a new place & its attractions. For some time now, we were itching to go on a trip where we try out some activity, some adventure. So we decided to try our hand at white water rafting on the Ganges. While we would be in that part of the country, why not also visit Uttaranchal & the Jim Corbett National Park? After all, this is something that I have been wanting to do since my Lucknow days! We had been planning this trip for almost a year before we finally set off on Apr 1. We had an early morning flight and would be flying out of the new "truly world class" Shamshabad airport in Hyderabad. This is about 32 kms. from home (and from everywhere else in the city). To further heighten the experience, we decided to take a radio cab, one of those new swanky cab services launched in the city, brand new fleet of Toyotas & Mahindras fitted with GPRS and an automatic billing system though I have always wondered how useful a GPRS would be on the roads of any Indian city. I mean, we are used to directions like "Opposite the temple / mosque / church" or "Adjacent to the kirana shop / super market / hospital / water tank". The GPRS I have seen in Germany operate primarily on distances & street names. Would the simple mind of the machine be able to work with the locations here? What if tomorrow the kirana shop moves to a new spot? Anyway, back to our trip. We booked a Dot cab which, true to its name, arrived dot on time. Earlier there was an SMS sent to Shantanu's mobile with the cab & driver details - impressive. We arrived at the airport 45 minutes later. Probably pale in contrast to other world class airports, the new set up was impressive in that it atleast looked like an airport unlike the older one that resembled a bus station. Spacious and a decent attempt at attaining a neat & orderly set up. However the typical desi attitude was prevalent here too; got into a quarrel with a gentleman in the check in line. Anyway we boarded our Indigo flight and reached New Delhi at noon. Shantanu has lived in Delhi before and is put off by the corruption, power play and worse - the weather. Luckily for him this time, we are shortly headed out to Haridwar via the Janashatabdi from the New Delhi railway station. For now, we took a pre paid taxi to the station, checked in our luggage into a dilapidated cloak room and headed out for some lunch. We reached Connaught Place and headed to Nirulas' to get something to eat. Shantanu regaled me with stories of his IIM days on the way when he used to stop over at Delhi on his way to or from Kolkata. After a meal of a thali for Shantanu & aloo paratha for myself, we headed back to the station, collected our luggage and waited for the train. The platform seemed to be bursting at the seams, the floor littered with dirt and the place crowded with vagabonds & passengers alike. Once the train arrived, we escaped the heat into the cool confines of an AC compartment. This train was not exactly like its upmarket counterpart, but nevertheless we settled down for our journey. The train was running late by almost an hour when suddenly Shantanu discovered that he had overlooked the date change while booking our tickets from Haridwar to Haldwani - this train leaves Haridwar at 12:05 am & Shantanu had mistakenly booked our tickets for the same night! However our plan was to spend a night in Haridwar, go rafting the next day & take the train the next night!!! Panic ensued but a fellow traveller comforted us & asked us to contact the station master at Haridwar. Needless to say we jumped out of the train & contacted the station master who assured us that we would be able to secure seats on the train the next day. Partly comforted, we headed to the Ginger hotel, where we had reservations by auto. The hotel is located far from the city & the autowallah made a killing at our expense. Ginger hotels boast of being a simple, low cost but comfortable hotel & they certainly seemed to live up to their promise. After check in, Shantanu attempted to contact a travel agent who could cancel the wrong tickets & get us correct ones, while I bought us a dinner of sandwiches at the Cafe Coffee Day that is located in the reception area of the hotel. The travel agent told us that cancellation was a lost cause, but assured us of seats for the next day. Thus assuaged we headed to our room, had dinner & tried to get some sleep.

We woke up at 7 the next morning & realised that breakfast in the hotel, though healthy, was overpriced at Rs. 116 per person. So we went out and had a hearty breakfast of aloo parathas at a bhojanalay called Danapani. The ticket agent was supposed to come to the hotel at 9 with our tickets but he did not turn up. Couple of frantic phone calls revealed that he would be able to deliver the tickets only at noon & that we should leave the money at the hotel reception. Left with no other option, we did the needful & headed out on our maiden rafting trip - correction: my maiden trip, Shantanu had already experienced this thrill before during his days at Bharati Telecom. The previous evening we had arranged with an agency called Explore Himalayan Adventures for a rafting trip from Marine Drive to Shivpuri. Rafting trips work out to be most economical for large groups, unfortunately there were only 2 of us & so we ended up paying the fare for 4 people. The agent, Mr. Monik Dhawan arrived at 9:15 am & we set off in a Maruti Wagon R. A short drive later, the view improved considerably. We left behind the city & the highway and drove alongside small streams that made their way to the river. Tall mountains surrounded us & green lush forests offered some comfort to our tired eyes. We stopped briefly at a temple & then proceeded to Rishikesh via Muni ki Reti. The road then went uphill & this presemted some difficulty in driving as repair work was on in many landslide affected areas. At these points the debris further narrowed the road; one false tread to the right & the car would fall through a huge gorge taking us with it. Our agent however seemed to be an expert driver; he got us safely to Shivpuri all the while telling us interesting tales. At Shivpuri, we moved into a pick up van driven by Lakshman and arrived at the camp site. Here we were joined by 4 boisterous boys, apparently from Delhi, who would be joining us on the trip. Almost an hour later, we descended at Marine Drive. Here we left our belongings in the van and were equipped with life jackets, helmets & paddles. Shantanu & the other guys carried the raft down to the riverside where it was cooled by splashing water lest it rupture due to the heat. We then boarded the raft & arranged ourselves suitably with Shantanu & me seated at the rear. Our instructor was Deepak Rana & he was assisted by Prakash. As the raft slowly bobbed along the river, Deepak taught us the different strokes - forward, back & rest. Also most important was the locking of the feet while we moved over a rapid so that we did not fall off the raft. The trip had begun peacefully & I was enjoying the calm surroundings when suddenly Deepak screamed "Jump!". Was he out of his mind? Jump into the ice cold water? But apparently that is one of the highlights of white water rafting. There is hardly any danger of drowning because of the life jackets & the feel of the cold clean water is too good to pass. Soon we encountered our first rapid - Mickey Mouse which was a Grade 1 rapid. The first experience was terrifying & for a few seconds, I was sure my heart had stopped beating! To make sure that I do not fall off while rowing (and also to see what the rapid really looks like), I gave up my oar to Prakash. Man, those rapids are so cool! As you rise to the top of the wave, you can see no bottom, just some white foam gurgling & ready to take you in! On & on we went rowing & resting alternately making our way through the rapids. The rapids we conquered - Mickey Mouse (Grade 1), Black Money (Grade 1), Three Blind Mice (Grade 3), Crossfire (Grade 2). Once we reached Shivpuri, Shantanu & I alighted while the rest went down further. We sat awhile at the office of the EHA & then were dropped at Lakshman Jhula. It is said that Lakshman crossed Ganga on jute ropes between the place where this bridge is built. Today it is a suspending iron bridge and a landmark of Rishikesh. On the other side of the bridge is Swargashram & the temple. We headed to Chottiwallah, a famous restaurant and had lunch. Then we took an auto till the bus stand & boarded a Delhi bound bus to get down at Dudhadhari Chowk close to where hotel Ginger is. We had already checked out that morning, but left our luggage in the cloak room. We freshened up, collected our tickets, and had some coffee. At around 5 pm, we headed to the railway station in a last ditch effort to cancel our "incorrect" tickets but to no avail. We then headed off to Har ki Pauri. This is the main ghat of Haridwar and was constructed by King Vikramaditya in the memory of King Bhagirath. The Main ghat and is supposed to be at the precise spot where the Ganges leaves the mountains and enters the plains. Each evening at sunset priests perform Ganga Aarti (the river worship ceremony) here, when lights are set on the water to drift downstream while priests engage in elaborate rituals. We watched the aarti for a while & then went back to the hotel. Dinner was a buffet spread & Shantanu wisely decided to book the hotel car to drop us at the station. Our train to Haldwani was late in the night & it was obvious that we would get no means of transport at that late hour. We passed the time in between playing some games & chatting up until 11:10 pm when the car arrived. We drove to the station and still had some time before the train arrived during which we stayed in the car as it was quite cold outside. Finally the train arrived close to midnight & we boarded our AC 2 tier compartment & tried to get some sleep. Alas, that was not to be. Our co passengers were to get off at Moradabad which comes in at 3 am. And once that did, this lady started calling out to her sleeping son on top of her voice - "Prince, Prince, wake up! we have arrived." But much to her dismay & to our extreme discomfort, Prince seemed reluctant to abandon his princely sleep. Worse still, I was sleeping in the side lower berth & it seemed like the entire train thought its responsibility to stop by & move the curtains to ensure that I was sleeping well :-(.

Finally at 6 am, we woke up. Shantanu's eyes seemed swollen & we were mortified that he had caught some infection. Luckily it turned out to be the result of sleep or rather the lack of it. We were still in that hazy zone before the shrouds of sleep are completely lifted when Shantanu realised that we had arrived at Haldwani, our destination, 5 minutes ahead of schedule. I was still brushing my teeth, but that luxury was not to be. Luckily we had not unpacked much during the night& so grabbed our luggage & jumped off on to the small but neat platform. All at once, we were surrounded by drones of taxi drivers - Sir, kahan jaana hai? (Where do you want to go?),Corbett, Nainital...When we did not respond, one of them quipped Local hai! (He is a local resident!). Once out at the station, we struck a deal with Rafiq, a cab driver at 800 bucks till Corbett Riverside Resort where we had reservations. We also asked him to stop at the Corbett Mueseum at Kaladhungi which is on the way. The weather was nice & the views were nicer still. We crossed Haldwani, a small sleepy but congested town & once on the highway, we cruised at a speed of 80 - 90 kmph. At Ramnagar, the road splits into two one headed for Nainital & the other going on further to Kaladhungi where we stopped at the Corbett Mueseum. It was nearly 7:15 am & though the mueseum was not oficially open, we could explore the place. This is actually the original residence of Jim Corbett, now converted to a mueseum. The house is small & simple surrounded by a beautiful garden. It was here that Corbett spent his last few years before moving to Kenya with his sister and carried out his conservation efforts.

After spending 10 - 15 mins at the mueseum, we hit the road again. The hamlets we passed on the way appeared to be quite prosperous. Tourism & agriculture seemed to be the main means of sustenance in this region. With the improvement in infrastructure including many resorts catering to all types of budgets, tourism in this region has received a major boost. We crossed Ramnagar & headed to Garjia which is about 11 kms away. We reached our resort at around 8 am & proceeded to the reception. Ajit at the reception was pretty friendly and after checking all the documents, opened up a room for us despite the fact that the check in time was at 12. However there was some bad news. Our package included a jungle safari in an open jeep for which we had paid Rs. 2720, but apparently the permit was not obtained. Worse, all the permits for the 30 vehicles for the morning were given away. The morning time is supposed to be the best time to sight animals & so this was a bit disappointing. After some discussion, Shantanu headed to the permit office accompanied by one of the men from the hotel to secure the permit for the afternoon rides. Apparently the office of the forest department was neat & clean and the people were courteous. However they were well aware of their power in issuing a permit & seemed to take great pride in the same. The crowd at the office was varied - a few domestic tourists, many foreigners, some folks seeking permission to stay in the forest guest houses. Anyways, Shantanu got back at almost 12 pm after securing the permit for the same afternoon. He also tried to get the bookings for the cantor (whatever that means) ride to another part of the forest for the next day, but the office did not open at its scheduled time. After he freshened up, we headed to the Riverside Restaurant. As we had reached before the peak weekend time, the resort was practically empty & so we were served lunch separately. The resort was beautiful. Our room was large & well furnished. There was a small bench in front of the room that made great seating with a cup of tea or a book. A short walk through a beautiful garden led to the restaurant. There were hammocks placed in the garden where you could cuddle up with a book or catch some sleep. River Kosi flowed at the edge of the resort. It being summer, it was very easy to go down to the river bed, that was dry & covered by stones, except for a small stream of water winding its way down. On the other side of the river were huge mountains and it was not very difficult to imagine a tiger or leopard hidden in the bushes on top. After lunch, we spent a few relaxing moments here after which we decided to get some sleep.

At 2 pm, our jeep turned up. The driver, Haneef, drove us first to the forest department office where we managed to secure the permit for the cantor trip the next day after a wait of about 15 mins. We then headed to the Bijrani gate of the forest. The Corbett National Park comprises 3 main areas - Bijrani, Dhikala & Jhirna & encompasses a total area of 1288 sq. km. Dhikala is the largest of the three & that was on our itinerary for the next day. As we drove in through the Bijrani gate, our driver selected a guide for us, Mr. Pandey & we took off. Soon after we entered the main forest area, we spotted a herd of elephants in the bushes. It was really difficult to see the entire animal. We had to be content with an ocassional trumpet or a swish of the tail...for now . We then caught sight of a crested serpent eagle perched atop a tree. We drove on meeting herds of sambar, peacocks, langurs, boars but alas! no sight of the tiger or any of the big cats. We saw loads of dear though, the spotted ones. According to the latest census, Corbett houses, 31,000 deer & 141 tigers. That's a healthy ratio of 200+ deer per tiger...healthy for the tiger, I mean :-). After about an hour or so, we reached the rest house area for a short tea break. Here we met Albeli, one of the elephants that are available for forest safari. Elephant safari is extremely popular & thus extremely busy as the animal moves off the beaten track & so it is purported that your chances of spotting a wild cat are better. Albeli's mahaut proudly told us that her mother Gomti was also an elephant of the forest department & that Albeli was born in the park. For now, she was engaged by a foreigner couple who seemed excited & happy to set off on their ride across the forest. We took off again hoping to catch sight of the tiger, but to no avail. As we turned back to return, we witnessed a spectacular sight that made the journey worth its while. Apparently the herd of elephants that we had spotted during our entrance had since moved. For some reason, two of the tuskers got into a fight & one of them was determined not to let the other join the herd. The sight of this struggle was really awe inspiring! We got back to the resort, tired but satisfied and went for a walk in the garden and along the river. Dinner was at 8:30 pm, again a meal served exclusively for us. We arranged with the restaurant for a packaged breakfast the next morning as we needed to be up & away by 5:30 am. We then headed back to the room for some much needed sleep.

The next morning, we awoke sharp at 5 am. A look outside revealed that it had rained the entire night. Our driver did not arrive until 5:45 am. Once he did, he turned out to be an exceedingly garrulous man called Ghulam. We reached the Dhikala gate at Dhangiri by 6 am. By now, it had started drizzling again & neither of us had thought of getting any warm clothes. Little did we realise then that the cold would be magnified in the open forest area & the open vehicle would do little to prevent it. Anyway the cantor turned up close to 6:30 am by which time, a small crowd had gathered there - a couple accompanied by their elderly parents, a pair of foreigners & a noisy group of 8 from Delhi. As we drove into the forest, we were warned against having any expectations of seeing the tiger - something that turned out to be a prophecy. First we stopped briefly to see tiger clawings on a tree. In addition to sharpening his claws, this is one of the ways that the tiger uses to mark his territory. The other is by urinating...ugh!!! Our guide also pointed out tiger paw marks in the wet sand. Apparently, this was as close to the tiger that I was going to get. :-(. However the sights of the forest were extremely captivating. The vegetation at Corbett comprises of tall Sal trees that ensure very little sunlight reaches the ground. Sal wood is one of the strongest kind available & lasts for eons. At one point the driver turned of his vehicle & we all stood & listened...to silence. Well, not exactly. If one listens closely, there is so much to take notice of. The sounds of the forest, the smells of the forest...the occassional chirping of birds or call of an animal, the smell of earth & trees...how I wish there was a chance to capture that & share it with you! We covered a large forest area but did not see anything different from what we saw the previous day - spotted dear, barking dear, wild boar, sambar, many species of birds but not even the tail of the tiger :-(. We stopped at one point near the Ramganga river which originates in the Himalayas & culminates into a reservoir after flowing through the Dhikala region. By now the cold had frozen me all over & so I begged the driver and the guide to let me sit with them in the covered driving area. We reached the Dhikala rest house which, we were informed, is the more modern of the forest rest houses in that it has electricity & even a canteen. Here we devoured the natural beauty surrounding us as we munched on our breakfast. As we continued on our journey, I did something really stupid. I do'nt know if it was due to the cold or the fact that I badly wanted to see a tiger, but I suddenly thought I saw some yellow & black stripes between the trees. I screamed out "There it is!" and the entire bus of people stopped & followed my finger. Alas, my vision was playing tricks on me...and the timing was really wrong! The entire bus looked at me as if I was a fool, some could barely keep from laughing. So much for my tiger sighting! On the return journey, the bus drove us to our resort where we freshened up & had lunch. By now the weekend tourists had arrived mostly from Delhi. We parked ourselves on the hammocks in the garden & relaxed as we read and slept. After some coffee in the evening & an early dinner, we went to bed, tired but contended.

Our last day at this beautiful place. We packed & checked out at 12 noon, but our train wasn't until 9:30 pm. We decided to hang around at the resort itself. There were no choices to go out & it was also raining heavily. When the rain subsided for a while, we went trekking. We crossed a suspension bridge along the river Kosi. There were a number of adventurous folks trying their hand at bungee jumping from the bridge. It was almost scary to see parents goading, at times even forcing their kids to take a shot at this sport! At the other end of the bridge was a narrow road that led to the Garjia Devi temple. By the time we got there, it started raining again. To get to the top of the temple, one has to cross rickety woodden bridges over the streams & also navigate a long flight of stairs. There was quite a crowd there & the weather also was most un co operative. So we headed back to our resort and stopped at a roadside shop for some tea & biscuits. The folks at the shop were pretty chatty & told us stories of the jungle and how & when one should come there in order to spot a tiger or leaopard for sure. When we reached the resort, the weather turned most foul. We had lunch at the restaurant and spent most of the time at the reception. In the evening, we freshened up and by 8 pm were ready to say our good bye to this part of the world. Ghulam came in with the taxi & we took off. Firstly we halted at Ramnagar where we bought ourselves packed dinner at a local restaurant. We still had a good 30 mins before our train arrived & so we waited in the AC waiting room of the Ramnagar station. Finally at 9:15 pm, the Corbett Link Express arrived. We found our AC 3 tier seats, had dinner & settled in for the night.

4:30 am the next morning, the train reached Old Delhi railway station. Just our luck - one of the times that we were ok with the train being 1 or 2 hours late, even praying for it, Indian Railways insists on being punctual. It was still pitch dark. Retiring rooms at the station would be available only at 8 am so we spent the intervening hours in a mixed dormitory. The room was occupied by one policeman when we went there, sleeping away the effect of his last beat. Later more people came in, all men & so it was not the most comfortable time for me. By 7 am we had given up. We got ourselves some breakfast & then managed to get a retiring room. The place seemed to be more than 200 years old & could definetely not brag about its cleanliness. Luckily we were there only for a few hours until the attractions at Delhi opened up. We first headed to the Red Fort or the Lal Qila. This historical monument and the city surrounding it was constructed by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 A.D. It houses many buildings of great historical & architectural significance including the Diwan-i-Aam - where the emperor met his subjects, Moti Masjid, Naubhat Khana - the musician wall and the ladies' quarters or Rang Mahal. This fort represents the pride, glory as well as the downfall of the Mughal empire in India. The practice of unfurling the national flag from the ramparts of the Red Fort with a speech by the Prime Minister on the Indian Independence Day continues to this day. We then headed to Jantar Mantar. This observatory represents the scienific & the astronomical advances made in 18th century India. Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five Jantar Mantars in total, in Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, Mathura and Varanasi that were completed between 1724 and 1735. Jantar mantar literally means calculation instrument. The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets. After viewing the marvels of the days gone by, it was time to experience one of the modern marvels - the Delhi metro. You are probably wondering why I called it a marvel. Well, one really has to ride it to know why. It is amazing and impressive to see infrastructure so clean & so well maintained these days. Also the stories of the engineering & bureaucratic hurdles that the team associated with this project overcame are famous. We had lunch at Wimpies in Connaught Place. We were supposed to meet a friend here, but somehow that did not materialise. Last on the agenda was a visit to Qutub Minar, but our autowallah said we wouldn't have time. So we went on a round of all the administrative buildings - The Rashtrapathi Bhavan, North Bloc, South Bloc, India Gate, Teen Murthi Bhavan & so on. Our conscientious driver dropped us at the airport -with a full 2 hours to spare :-(. Anyway, the flight back to Hyderabad was uneventful. At the airport, we faced a bit of a problem locating a taxi - only the designated radio cabs are allowed to come to the arrival gate. Finally we reached home ready to face our usual routine again.

Deshe Bideshe 16 - Andamans

2008-11-18T21:56:00.130+05:30

Devmitra:

Sep 2007 and the humdrum of regular life shuttling between work & home was getting to us. So we decided to take a holiday & travel to the Andaman islands. These islands located in the Bay of Bengal are part of the Andaman & Nicobar Union Territory of India. To get there we would have to travel via Chennai and so we decided to include a short trip to Pondicherry in the itinerary. This city is a former French colony & today it houses the famous Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. Since my parents were interested in visiting these sites, they decided to come with us until Pondicherry and return to Hyderabad thence while we continue on the rest of our vacation. Tickets were booked, rooms reserved & we set off on the 21st on board the Chennai Express. Mom and Dad came to the station well in time while Shantanu & I wrapped up our office chores & finally joined them. The train journey passed off well & we turned in for the night as we were to reach Chennai at 6 the next morning.

Morning arrived & with it came the first jolt of the trip - I was in charge of arranging for our transport to Pondicherry from Chennai station. But there was no vehicle waiting for us as was promised by the guy at the Ashram Guest House who I had spoken to. On calling him up, I found that he had "not recieved" my email confirmation & so assumed that there was no need for a cab. Anyways, we asked around & the only alternative we were offered was to take a bus to our destination. The four of us & our luggage squeezed into a single auto to CMBT - Chennai Mufassil Bus Station in about 20 min, cost 93 bucks. The ticket counter wore a deserted look and so we asked around. A cop standing there heard us & directed us to an ordinary ECR express that was just leaving. We were among the first few passengers but the bus took in many more folks as it made its way to the highway. We found ourselves sharing our seat with another Bengali family. Added to that I had taken an anti emetic drug which made me pretty drowsy. But there was hardly any place to get a decent nap & Shantanu mistakenly hitting me with our suitcase on the arm did not improve things! The road was good though - a toll road with hardly any potholes. Three long hours later we reached Pondicherry & asked the driver to let us off at a place near the Ashram Park Guest House where we had reservations. A short auto ride later, we reached the Guest House & checked into adjacent rooms. Like most other places of religious & spiritual importance, the essence of the Guest House is simplicity. The rooms are big & spacious each with a private balcony facing the sea. Furnishings are restricted to the quintessential but suited our needs very well. We were cash starved & it was also lunch time. So we quickly freshened up & took an auto to Mission Street - Pondicherry's shopping region. We located the ATM as guided by the man at the reception in the Guest House. We then had lunch - South Indian Thali, 33 bucks, unlimited quantity. On the way back, we realised that the Tourism Centre was pretty near the Guest House & so Shantanu & I decided to go down to get some information. The afternoon heat was extremely oppresive & the humidity was stifling. In addition, the trip to the Tourism Centre was not very helpful & so we walked back to the Guest House for a much needed nap. We realised that there was no scope for a conducted tour & so we struck a deal with an auto driver of 250 Rs. for a trip to the beach in the evening.

By the time we woke up, it was around 5. My parents had been long up & were taking a walk in the beautiful garden at the Guest House. We had coffee at the restaurant within the Guest House & then set off to find our auto driver. Dad had struck a bargain at Rs. 150 for the trip to the beach & the auto driver Shanmugham was waiting for us as we stepped out. Since four people in the rear seat would be too cramped for anyone's comfort, Shantanu volunteered to sit along with the driver. Brave decision - he had not bargained for Shanmugham's zeal & enthu in ensuring that we did not miss a sight & so had to put up with a constant chatter of broken English interspersed with a few Tamil words from the friendly driver :-).

It was already dusk when we reached the Repos beach about 7 kms from the town. There was hardly any approach road and the beach was not clean. Nevertheless, we splashed in the water for a while except Dad who is extremely allergic to getting wet. We drove back to the Guest House & it was'nt until much later that Shantanu had realised that he could not find his sunglasses. He had probably misplaced them at the beach! We went out & searched for the shop where we had stopped for a while but to no avail. Poor man was so disappointed! While he grieved over his sunglasses, Ma, Bappi & I went out for dinner. There is an eating joined called "La Terrace" adjacent to the Guest House that boasted of French cuisine. We decided to play it safe & stuck to good old "desi fare". I also got a sandwich & juice packed for Shantanu who was still down when we got back. Anyways, what ca'nt be cured must be endured.

The next day looked promising. Shantanu had sufficiently gotten over his loss of the sunglasses and joined us in making plans for the day over breakfast at the Guest House. Breakfast was good albeit slightly expensive. On the agenda was a visit to the Aurobindo Ashram & associated departments. For guests staying at the Guest Houses aligned with the Ashram, a lunch & dinner is also included coupons for which are available at the Guest Houses. The Ashram is about a 1.5 km walk from the Guest House. The main building houses the living quarters while the different departments surround it. Sadly these were closed as it was a Sunday. So we visited the main area and sat awhile under the big banyan tree in the courtyard. We also visited the library where Ma and Bappi bought a few. Sri Aurobindo holds great significance not only to India's mysticism and philosophy but also to the Indian freedom struggle. He entered politics around the time of the First Bengal partition from 1905 to 1912 and was one of the founding members of Jugantar party, an underground revolutionary outfit. Awaiting trial as a prisoner, he read through the Gita which brought him spiritual upliftment. From then on until the last of his days, Sri Aurobindo turned to the exploration of the subtle realms of human existence and, as a consequence, developed a new spiritual path which he termed Integral Yoga.

As we did not have any luck at visiting the other departments associated with the Ashram, we went down to a Vinayaka temple nearby. After spending some time there, we started walking towards the Ashram dining hall. The arrangements were all in place - short tables were placed on the floor and mats placed for seating. There is also an arrangement of chairs for those who find it difficult sitting on the floor. The food is served by the Ashram volunteers and comprises heaps of rice, a big bowl of sambar, bread, curd and bananas - simple but filling. While Shantanu walked back to the Guest House, the rest of us took a rickshaw and all of us turned in for a siesta. Unfortunately there was a power cut and the humidity & heat made sleep difficult.

Towards evening, we decided to head out to Paradise beach and backwaters about 7 -8 kms. from the town. I had negotiated a deal with an auto driver who was there at the Guest House gates for us when we stepped out. After an auto ride of about 20 mins., we reached the ferry point. There are different arrangements for the backwater cruise and the trip to the beach. We took the big boat and after a pleasant 15 min. ride, we reached the Paradise beach. This was relatively cleaner and we spent about 40 mins. there before we caught the last boat back to the ferry point.

The auto drivers in Pondicherry are very helpful and this was revealed on our trip back to the town. By then we had decided that none of us wanted to take the ECR bus back to Chennai & were on the lookout for a more comfortable conveyance. On asking the auto driver, he took us to the bus station where Shantanu & Dad got all the requisite information. We headed back to the Guest House and were in for a major treat. It was the day of the Ganesh idol immersion & since our Guest House was on the beach road, we caught the entire procession. It was a very colourful affair with Ganesh idols small, HUGE and of all sizes in between made their way to the ocean accompanied by music, colour and loads of fanfare! It was a treat for the foreign tourists as they had probably never seen such an event. We had coffee at La Terrace and returned to the Guest House. We had planned to attend a meditation session in the evening but by the time we located the place, the gates were closed. So we walked back to the dining hall where we had dinner - this time the meal included milk, a dessert and a piece of sweetmeat. The entire meal system is run by the ashram volunteers who cover everything - from the seating to the cleansing of the dishes. The guests are asked to dispose any leftover food in the trash after which the dishes are handed to the volunteers. They in turn soak the dishes & bowls & spoons in huge tubs of soap water and then clean them dry. Quite a painful task but the volunteers went about their job with absolutely no sign of any discomfort!

Next day we had planned to visit Auroville. This was the last day of this leg of the journey for me & Shantanu as we were to leave for Andamans that evening. Ma & Bappi would be staying an additional day at Pondicherry and then return to Hyderabad. Auroville was founded in 1968 by The Mother. The idea was to set up a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and harmony. Today there are about 2000 inhabitants in this model town across 44 nationalities. Accomodation is self financed. Donations & contributions from the departments associated with the Ashram also add to the Auroville's economy. We first spent some time in the visitor center where we were also shown a movie on the Ashram. We then decided to pay a visit to the Matrimandir. This is a meditation center and an often represented piece of architecture. The walk to the mandir was about 10 mins. long but the sultry weather made it seem longer. And when we finally got there, there was some restoration work on & so we could not enter the Mandir. On the way back, we put Ma & Bappi on one of the electric golf cars that ply between the Mandir & the visitor centre while Shantanu & I trudged back. Shanmugham was there waiting to drive us back. He proved to be a very friendly guide and his enthu in ensuring that we appreciate his city and the current government was unmistakable. Before driving us to Auroville, he also took us to some local temples that had tall idols of many gods. He was probably a bit disappointed when we did not display the same interest as say a foreign tourist, but we could not help that! By the time we got back to the town from Auroville, it was 1 and we were starving. Lunch was at La Terrace - that had become our local kitchen. Shantanu & I had already checked out of our room that morning & after lunch the four of us rested awhile in Mom & Dad's room. Then Shantanu & I left for our bus to Chennai at 4 pm & reached the bus station with about 45 mins to spare for the 5 o clock delux bus. It came on time but did not seem keen to embark on the journey; finally at 5:20 pm, the conductor turned on a video cassette of Tamil songs at a volume high enough to wake up the dead & the bus finally left the station. Our request to turn down the volume of the music fell on deaf ears (with the music blaring so loud, can you blame them?) and all in the bus except us seemed to be enjoying the show; so the two of us put on brave faces & endured the pain. Shantanu was also concerned about how we would get to the airport from the bus station at Chennai as neither of us knew the city and it was getting to be dusk by the time we reached. On talking to the bus conductor, we ascertained that Guindy would be a good place for us to get off which we did & then took an auto to the airport - cost us 120 bucks. Next hurdle - getting inside the airport. At 9 pm, we were too early for our flight that was scheduled to leave at 4:40 the next morning. I had to put my superior negotiation skills to work & finally managed to convince the guard to let us in. All around people were eagerly watching the final match between India & Pakistan at the T20 cup, but we were too hungry to be bothered by that. After feasting on some sandwiches at the Taj outlet inside the airport, we plonked on the chairs & tried to get some sleep before the flight.

Morning 2 am and we sleepily walked to the other terminal where we needed to check in. We shamelessly jumped the queue for baggage check & earned ourselves some choicest rebukes; but we could'nt care less. Chennai airport did not appear to be equipped for the huge crowd of peple who were travelling at that time of the day - chairs were few and not in very good condition. Nevertheless we waited for the flight & finally went on board & promptly fell asleep. Couple of hours later, the plane arrived at Port Blair's Veer Savarkar airport. We got off and walked (you heard me right) across the runway to the terminal to claim our baggage. Baggage handling is arcane, but we recieved our bags within 10 minutes; sometimes things move faster the old fashioned way. Once we left the airport, we were met by our tour operators - Andaman Holidays who transported us to our hotel - the Sun Sea resort. The hotel looked a little worn out from the outside but the location is too good - bang in the middle of the city. Infrastructure seemed to be remote; then again tourism industry in India is still in its infancy compared to Europe or elsewhere. Also the 2004 tsunami wreaked havoc on these islands as we were to witness later.

Having freshened up & eaten breakfast (mostly south indian spread but filling), we decided to look around. Our tour operators would pick us up at 2:30 pm to visit Corbyn's Cove & then catch the Light & Sound show at the Cellular Jail. So we caught an auto & asked the driver to take us to the biggest shopping area. He drove us to the Aberdeen market which is the biggest shopping area there. Walking through the market reminded me of MG Road at Hyderabad ages back - small shops with dim lighting, limited display & loads of shop boys trying to get you to come inside. After strolling for a while, the afternoon sun got to us & so we headed back to the hotel for some shut eye. Post siesta & a light lunch, we set out accompanied by our guide Rajesh to Corbyn's Cove. We stopped at the Port Blair Science Centre which houses many interesting displays. The approach road to the beach was heavily damaged in the 2004 tsunami & we could still see proof of the same. There did not seem to be much of a road, more of a pathway and at many places, trees that were uprooted by the waves still lay across. Often our car would have to stop to let a vehicle from the opposite side pass as the road was not wide enough to accomodate two adjacent vehicles. The beach at Corbyn's Cove was calm and the water felt heavenly on that hot sunny noon. We spent a really long time at the beach and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

At 4 pm, we set off on the return journey to the Port Blair city. The ticket counter for the light & sound show at the Cellular Jail opens at 5 pm and we spent the intervening time in a small park - Veer Savarkar park located opposite. Our tour guides treated us like royalty & stood in the line to buy our tickets. The tickets are priced at Rs. 10 and so there is a long queue at the entrance. Once we got in, we were quickly herded into our seats and the show began at 5:30 pm. It was in Hindi & although I liked it, Shantanu thought it could be better. But for both of us, it triggered a thought process - what is that quality that differentiates a fighter from an ordinary man, that gives him the courage to defy authority & stand for what is right, that inspires him to fight for another's freedom and not shirk from even embracing death for it? To all those brave sons of India - Thank You seems to be too inadequate, yet we are genuinely grateful to you.

The next morning, we are to set off for Havelock island. The ship was to leave Port Blair at 6:30 am and so we woke up at 5 am and sleepily accompanied our tour guide to the harbour. On hindsight, booking this packaged tour at Andamans was the best thing that we could have done. After all infrastructure on this island is still in its infancy and we would have definetely missed the boat if we had relied on local transport to get us there on time. Of course, the ship, M.V.Deming finally left the harbour 30 mins behind the scheduled departure time - true Indian punctuality :-). And the cruise itself was a rude shock after our wonderful experience at Greece (am I comparing apples & oranges here?). It felt like we were in a coffin or like we were pigs or cattle being carried to the slaughter house - the room was dirty, the seats were tattered, no question of anyone adhering to their seat numbers and worse, none of the fans worked making the entire atmosphere extremely stifling. How I managed to fall asleep there is now beyond me, but after a few hours, I woke up to find Shantanu missing. I ventured out to the top deck and found him taking pictures of the beautiful surroundings. We also managed to see some flying fish and even a green turtle swimming in the waters. After about 3 hours, we reached Havelock. The tour guide from Andaman Holidays was waiting for us with the vehicle and whisked us off to Silver Sand beach resorts. While we checked in and sipped in our welcome drink, the bell boy named Chotu carried our luggage to our room. The resort was extremely beautiful - lush green all through with two storied cottages set up neatly across the place. We were on the second floor of the last cottage in the hotel & the room was vast - king sized bed, sofa, two extremely comfy easy chairs and a neat & clean bathroom. After being cramped on the ship for 3 hours, it felt heavenly! While Shantanu freshened up, I ordered breakfast. Wonder if it was the fact that the first meal was complimentary or whether I was genuinely hungry (by the time we discovered the snack bar on the ship, it was time to leave), I ended up ordering aloo parathas for myself & a sandwich for Shantanu. The food came & we literally gorged on it :-D. Lunch was to be served at the restaurant and we were to order the food atleast a half hour before so that it would be ready on time. On Chotu's recommendation, we opted for grilled pomfret. To reach the restaurant, one has to leave the resort, cross the road & walk over to the other side. The restaurant faces the sea and it felt extremely relaxing eating there. We mostly had the place to ourselves and hardly saw anyone during the meals we had there during our stay at Havelock.

Hunger satiated, we took a short nap until 2:30 pm when our vehicle came down to drive us to Radhanagar beach or Beach no. 7. The drive to the beach offered a typical rustic picture - infrastructure wise, Havelock is remote compared to even Port Blair and a single road appeared to run across the length of the island. The drive was bumpy and slow but the surroundings made up for it - small huts in the middle of lush green fields, children playing without a care in the world and ducks & chickens fearlessly crossing the road. From time to time, we saw groups of Europeans who rent two wheelers & navigate their way on the path as much with ease as a native driver. No wonder these folks had at one time conquered half the world! Havelock has an area of some 92 sq.km. and is the largest of the islands which comprise Ritchie's Archipelago. Our destination, Beach No. 7, better known as "Radha Nagar" Beach, is one of the most popular beaches on Havelock and was named "Best Beach in Asia" by Time in 2004. And once we reached the place, we were not surprised. For a change, the beach is extremely clean. And the sea looked extremely beautiful - foamy white waves gurgling forward as if calling us in for a game. Shantanu quickly opted to take a bath and spent a lazy 30 mins in the water. All over the beach sand, you could make out the patterns made by crabs; Nature is the best artist. It began to get dark and although we really did not want to leave the place, we had no choice. While our driver got the car, we had tea at the small shop outside the beach. Back at the hotel, there was nothing much to do and so we spent a blissful evening taking in the serene atmosphere around us before retiring for the day.

The weather turned a little gray the next day with intermittent drizzles. We prayed that the rain gods would not mess our snorkelling plans. We set off from the resort at 8:30 am and reached the jetty in a matter of minutes. Still remember the sight of this huge pig that was there at the jetty, snorting so loudly that it was almost scary! Anyways we got into a small fishing boat equipped with a small motor that would take us till Elephantine Beach - the spot from where we would go snorkelling. The weather cleared by then & the boat ride was fun with waves splashing us from all sides; we were reminded of our ride on the Arabian Sea to St. Mary's island in Mangalore, but the waves there were bigger & wilder. Soon after the boat anchored at a small beach (nothing elephantine about it). We were soon joined by another family. Our boat guys conveyed to us in broken Hindi that we were to wait there for the guys who would take us snorkelling. There was a small hut apparently a changing room of sorts, but completely littered with remnants of a camping trip. Soon after the life guards arrived and to our good luck, they both spoke Bengali. We decided that I would go first and so I geared up. I was first fitted with thick glasses that also covered my nose completely and then given my breathing pipe. Since all breathing during snorkelling takes place through the mouth, one end of the pipe is shaped like a mouth which should be held firmly between the jaws. The other end remains above the water and allows the air to pass. I am a scaredy cat when it comes to most things and this would be my first under water adventure. Would I pass out? My guide spent some time calming my anxiety and showing me how to balance my weight on the life buoy. The idea is to hold the buoy at your chest and once you enter the water, lie down holding the buoy at the chest level and paddle with your feet. The head needs to be held at the surface of the water to ensure that you see clearly as well as are able to breathe freely. It took me a few minutes to adjust to the whole idea but once I got the hang of it, I loved it so much that I went in a second time! I only wish I had a camera that would capture all that I saw there...it was...amazing...like a city underwater, a city bustling with life...corals of various colours & shapes just like the buildings we see on land & fish of all sizes moving in & out. At one point, my guide even plucked out a coral for me to touch. Seeing what I saw down there only made me marvel at His creativity. And the sheer beauty of it all! The green parrot fish...funny name for a fish, I thought, but the beauty of the colours on the skin...amazing!!! Also at one point, my guide made me stand absolutely still...and an entire school of small blue fish surrounded us...man! it felt...WOW!!! Shantanu also went in and unlike me lost his nerve a bit. He forgot the essential rule & started breathing through his nose. Water entered his nose immediately & he panicked. Thanks to the able life guards, nothing serious happened & Shantanu recovered to complete his maiden snorkelling adventure as well as a second trip! Snorkelling & other water adventures are more expensive on these islands as compared to Port Blair but the water is clearer and so the cost is definetely worth it. We played around on the beach while our clothes dried & then set off at 12 noon. Once we reached the hotel, we dried ourselves, had a sumptuous lunch and then took off by the 2'o clock boat to Port Blair. The return journey took only 2 hours and having reached Port Blair, we were driven back to our hotel.

Back to Port Blair and Day 4 of our visit to the wonderful Andamans and the program for the day was a visit to North Bay island & Ross Island. By 9:30 am, we had reached the jetty. There was some confusion about which boat would carry us and we went through a couple of inter boat transfers before we finally made it to our boat. Owing to the "contacts" of our guide from Andaman Holidays, we were allowed to sit inside the captain's cabin; later we realised that we were not the only privileged ones, two other couples from Bangalore soon joined us. Anyways the cabin was spacious and sheilded us from the rain. "Master" as the driver was called also allowed me to steer the boat for a while :-). By the time we got to North Bay island, the rains settled down to a light shower and we all got off for a round of snorkelling. Disappointing set up - just a few makeshift cabins where one has to change, a small canteen serving south indian meals, a vendor selling biscuits etc. and a questionably secure locker room where we are to stash our belongings. It is sad that neither the Government nor any big private player has bothered to invest in these parts. In all fairness to the locals, they make a huge effort to ensure that the tourists have a good time including a minimal charge of Rs. 250 per person for snorkelling and a 20 bucks charge for the locker. Anyways, once we had changed and secured our belongings, we were all bundled into glass bottom boats which would take us to the middle of the ocean. These "famous" boats are normal canoes with a 8 by 1 sheet of thick glass at the center of the floor through which the tourists view the corals. One has to be extremely careful while stepping on it but the glass is not very clean & offers a murky view of the corals despite the guides constantly splashing water on it. Once we reached the middle of the ocean, the snorkelling guides began escorting groups of 4 - 6 people for about 30 mins of snorkelling. Unlike Havelock, there was a huge crowd here - a Bengali family of four, an elderly Bihari couple, four young men from Chennai, two old Bengali guys. Some of them were excited about going snorkelling while some were not so sure. Thanks to our stint at Havelock, we are pros at this game :-) and so were able to go through the whole round very comfortably. Sadly, the water was not very clear and owing to the rains, we only got to see a turbid view of corals; we were certainly glad that we had gone snorkelling in Havelock! Once we got back to the beach, we changed back into dry clothes and snacked on some biscuits. After a while we set of to visit Ross Island. Named after the marine surveyor Sir Daniel Ross, this was the original seat of the British adminstration in the Andamans and home to a thriving community, largely due to the presence of clean drinking water sources. Known as the Paris of the East, the island had a protestant church, a market place, a bakery, bunglows, swimming pools, club houses, cemetery and what have you. In 1943, the island was occupied by the Japanese who converted the place to a military set up and put up war bunkers. When Japan surrendered at the end of WW II in 1945, the island was returned to the British until the Indian independance in 1947. Today the island houses the ruins of the British and Japanese occupation and also shelters some deer and peacocks. We got ourselves some coffee and then explored the island on foot. Finally at 3:30 pm, we returned to the boat and arrived back at Port Blair in 15 minutes. We had gotten so used to being pampered by Andaman Holidays that the absence of a vehicle at the harbour came as a rude shock. By this time, it started raining heavily and we had absolutely no where to go. Few frantic phone calls later, our driver showed up - turned out that he was told that the boat would arrive after 4 pm. Anyways, all's well that ends well. Also this small misfortune revealed the generous nature of the locals - a policeman offered us shelter from the rain, a cab driver opened his vehicle so that we could avoid getting drenched.

Day 5 of our trip and a nasty surprise. We had a 10 hour gap before our flight to Hyderabad from Chennai and had booked a hotel room so that we could freshen up and also get some rest. We also had plans of driving down to Mahabalipuram. Unfortunately the ruling DMK party called for a bandh in Chennai on the same day and all transport was expected to be off the roads. So we faced the prospect of spending almost an entire day at the airport. Anyways we made a few calls to Yatra.com asking them to cancel our hotel reservation. While still awaiting a response from them, we got ready for our Port Blair city tour. We first visited the Anthropological Mueseum which offered loads of information on the various aboriginal tribes on the different islands. We then drove down to visit the Cellular Jail. The last time we were there only for the Light & Sound show and this time we got a chance to visit the jail. Cellular jail or Kaala Pani as it was commonly known is one of the darkest chapters of the Indian freedom struggle. The history of using the Andaman island as a prison dates back to the First war of Independance in 1857. Built over 10 years & completed in 1906, the Cellular jail housed some of the many famous Indian freedom fighters. This included Vinayak Damodar Savarkar or Veer Savarkar in whose honour the airport at Port Blair is named. The entire structure comprised a central watch tower with seven arms. Each arm consisted of a three storey building comprising the prison cells. Today only three of the spokes remain standing. David Barry, the jailor considered himself the God of the land & subjected the prisoners there to extreme torture - physical & mental. The prisoners were tied to the yoke & made to extract coconut oil - a job normally done by cattle. The cells themselves are 4.5 metres x 2.7 metres in size with a ventilator located at a height of three metres and prevented any prisoner from communicating with any other. The Empire of Japan invaded the Andaman islands in 1942 and drove the British out. The Cellular Jail now became home to British prisoners and, later, to members of the Indian Independence League, many of whom were tortured and killed there. During this period, Subhash Chandra Bose also visited the jail. The INA was an ally of the Japanese army and Netaji met the Indian prisoners of war. He renamed Andaman & Nicobar islands as Shahid Dweep (island of the martyr) and Swaraj Dweep (island of self governance) respectively. In 1945, the British reoccupied the islands after World War II ended. Next on the agenda was a visit to Samudrika, a maritime mueseum and a local zoo. Finally we reached the Chattam Saw mill - the largest of its kind in Asia. We saw the entire process of how wood from different forests across the islands is converted to logs of timber and finally shaped into different artifacts. On the way back we stopped at some local shops for some souvenir shopping and returned to the hotel for lunch. The afternoon itinerary comprised a trip to Mount Harriet - the highest peak in South Andamans. But to our bad luck, the road was closed to facilitate some repair work. So our guides took us to Chidiya Tapu. This is at the far end of Port Blair. It is famous for attracting a variety of birds, especially during sunset. However the wet weather was not very conducive for bird sighting. The beach was also inaccessible as this place was also heavily affected by the 2004 tsunami. We spent some time watching the sunset & playing in the water before we drove back.

Last day of our stay at the Andamans. Today a visit to the Red Skin island, part of the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is on the cards. A 45 min drive took us to the entrance of the park. A special permit is required to enter the park which our travel guides had already secured and the ticket includes snorkelling charges. Also no plastic is allowed on the park. One has to pay a deposit of Rs. 100 in case one needs to carry any plastic to the island which is refunded once you bring back the same with you. We started at 10 am accompanied by a huge crowd of mostly Bengali families in a nice big boat. The cruise was good but the intermittent showers played spoilsport. 45 minutes later we reached the Red Skin island. We got off from the big boat & were driven to the island in smaller boats & groups. The beach is basically a small strech where the boats anchor. The rest of the island is covered with dense bushes and tall trees. I opted out of snorkelling today; the mood did not feel right. Shantanu took off in the light rain. His guide spoke Bengali and soon struck a deal - Rs. 100 extra for venturing into deeper waters where there was chance of viewing sea cucumbers. Shantanu managed to get a good view of many sea cucumbers, some of them apparently almost the size of a grown man. Once all the enterprising snorkellers had returned, us non snorkelling 'junta' were put on the glass bottomed boats and driven to the middle of the sea to view the corals. The water here offered a better view compared to North Bay but paled in comparision to Havelock. Once this was completed, the entire group walked to the other side of the beach to get into smaller boats that would convey us to the bigger one. We were ferried back to the park entrance where our guides were waiting for us. On the drive back, we said our good byes before getting off at the hotel. We spent a leisurely evening & turned in early as we had an early morning flight to catch. Our tour guides were promptly there at the hotel at 5:30 am the next day & drove us down to the airport. Our flight was at 7 am & we reached Chennai by 9. No thanks to the strike, we were confined to the airport until late evening before we finally boarded the flight back to Hyderabad.

Deshe Bideshe 14 - Mallorca

2008-11-18T14:23:00.081+05:30

Devmitra:
Mallorca - Aug 2005
We got married in June 2005 and did not have much time for a honeymoon as we had to head back to work almost immediately. The software system that we had designed & built for Daimler had just "gone live" in the second market and we expected to have our hands full. Luckily Aug 15 was a holiday in Germany (but working day in rest of markets that we were supporting, so partially working for us) and so decided to have a somewhat delayed honeymoon at Mallorca. After some haggling with our boss, we finally could manage to get one day leave and that too on a holiday ;). We chose this destination because (a) we wanted to head out to an island, amid the sun, the surf & the works and Mallorca was the nearest spot to fit the bill and (b) two of our colleauges had recently gone to Mallorca and claimed to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Mallorca or Majorca was an old Arab setlement for quite some time in the middle ages until the Spanish reclaimed it. Till date, here are quite a few Moorish remnants here. Like any other coastal area of Spain & Portugal, Mallorca became a hot favourite among the British and German tourists. They in turn bought properties on the island in the 80's and 90's and settled down here. Today a part of the island, esp. the Pollensa bay side, houses many British settlers and tourists. Ibizza, on the other hand, is predominantly German. The rest of the land is inhabited by Spanish, Catalans, Italians and of course, the ubiquitous Asian migrants.

We booked a room in a hotel near the city centre (it was the peak of the tourist season & hotel rates were at their highest) and set out on a fine sunny day aboard a German Wings flight from Stuttgart. The aisle seat was ocuupied by a German individual who was engrossed in his copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. When he finally finished the book, he put it down and looked us disappointedly - pathetic book, according to him. The ice thus broken, he gave us loads of information on the island. Apparently he worked in Munich while his family lived in Mallorca. Thanks to him, we came to know that the island is very small, practically "driveable" within a few hours. Neither of us had a license & so we took a cab to the hotel. The driver seemed to know the place & an approximately 30 min drive cost us merely 15 Eur and brought us to our hotel (so cheap compared to Stuttgart, we thought!).

It was not yet noon and so we gathered our maps & went down to the reception to glean information on bus/tram service, beaches etc. The bus stop to the sea beach was a good 20 min walk. Another 30 min journey by bus brought us to Ses islets. The beach here was great, not too big, but good enough. Like any other tourist beach, hotels & eating joints lined the place. We spent some time splashing about in the water and had a great time. It soon got dark and we decided to take the bus back. Dinner was at a Chinese restaurant near the hotel; not great food, but nevertheless filling.

The program for the next day was to explore the Soller beach. There is a small train that carries tourists to the beach through a picturesque valley. Small incident on the way - I realised that I had was not wearing my wedding ring and could'nt remember where I had left it. So I HAD to go back to the room to find it which we did - under the bed! Luckily the housekeeping folks had still not entered the room and so we were able to locate the ring. That done, we realised that if we do'nt rush back, we are bound to miss the train to Soller & so we took a cab to the train station & barely managed to catch the train. The trip was worth the effort! Basically made of wood, the Soller train dates back to 1912 and since then has been connecting this small village with the main capital of the island. The train service was started to enable the locals commute to the city to sell their orange produce which this region was famous for. One of the main attractions of the Soller Train is that they still use the same machines they did when inaugurated nearly a hundred years ago! Today a one way ticket to Soller cost 6.50 Euro, and 11 Euro if both ways. It was a bright & sunny day and the sights in the valley were nice. At Soller, a small bus took us to the beach. The view was great, but there was not much to do. The beach itself is pretty small, really not more than a backwater. The train back was only in the evening so we decided to take an early bus back to Mallorca. The bus stop bore a forlorn and deserted look; nevertheless the bus was on time & as it took a shorter route back, we reached Mallorca in about a hour and a half. We then headed straight for Ses islets. We stayed there for about an hour. Shantanu took to the water like a fish to the sea & indulged in a nice, long, leisurely bath :-). As dusk approached, we felt really hungry and so headed to the sea side restaraunts for dinner. The first one needed us to have a reservation & since we did'nt, we headed to the one beside it, its not so up market cousin. In the spirit of adventure, we ordered for sea food & chicken kebabs. The presentation was great and we ate to our hearts' & stomach's content.

Next morning, we had planned to visit the Cabrera islands. We had booked seats with a travel agency that would take us to the islands by boat. But the boarding point was about 60 kms from Mallorca & we had to arrange for our own conveyance. So we took a cab to the place and after about an hour's drive, reached the place. The ferry was a small one and there was a motely crowd of about 30 people mostly from Europe. The cruise on the Mediterranean was great - cool breeze and warm sun. Ultimately we reached the much touted island and its national park. The Cabrera National Park is to the south of Mallorca and is made up of 19 small islands and isles with an area of 1,318 hectares on land, as well as the sea area that surrounds them, with a maritime area of 8,703 hectares. However we did not have the permit necessary to visit the park and so we went hiking. That got too tiring as the day got progressively hot and so we grabbed some drinks at a makeshift bar. We then lazed around on the beach for a while after which lunch was served - a measly lunch of sea food. The most characteristic vegetation of Cabrera is the low hills of wild olives and Junipers (Juniperus phoenicea), although there are also some extensive pine areas. Marine birds, such as the sea gulls as well as birds of prey such as falcons are also found on the islands.
After spending some time on the beach, we set out on the return trip at about 3 pm. On the way back, the boat took a detour & entered Cova Blava or the Blue Cave. As the name implies the water inside the cave was a deep aquamarine blue, a blue that we had never seen before. It looked like an artist had emptied cans of blue paint into the water in the cave. It was difficult to imagine that the water inside was of the same sea that streched outside the cave. The boat set anchor inside the cave for a while for the swimmers to take a plunge into the deep blue waters. But we didnt have the stomach to jump into the ice cold water, nor did we know swimming. Finally we headed back and reached the bus stop. There was still some time before the bus arrived, but unfortunately, my stomach started to rebel and I felt extremely sick. Once we reached Mallorca, Shantanu wasted no time in getting a taxi and getting me back to the hotel. Fortunately I felt better after a while and so we spent the evening in the hotel where we also had dinner.
The next day was the last day of our trip. We checked out of the hotel in the morning & decided to take a submarine ride at a place called Magalluf - my brilliant idea! Shantanu would have prefered a lazy day at the beach :-). Nevertheless we left our luggage in the hotel safe keeping and took a taxi to Magalluf. It was a typical tourist spot with modern buildings and a beautiful sea beach. The view was great - children playing on the beach, gliders and balloons dotting the sky and loads of sea birds perched on the sea rocks. It took us a while to locate the office where we bought our tickets for the submarine trip. A smaller boat would take us to the submarine that was anchored in the middle of the sea. We were also gifted a DVD of the sights from the submarine trip. But my weak stomach started to act up again and so we looked around for a pharmacy. As my ill luck would have it, it was a Monday - the weekly day off for pharmacies in Spain. So we had sandwiches at a small resturant hoping lunch would make things better. We then took a cab to Marine Land. This is an amusement park that had a variety of birds - flamingoes, macaw, parrots, cockatoo etc. There was also a dolphins and sea lions that we thoroughly enjoyed. Towards evening, we took a taxi back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and headed to the airport from where we took the flight back to Stuttgart. Despite the misadventures and the sicknesses - a wonderful trip to the island of Mallorca.

Deshe Bideshe 13 - Barcelona

2008-11-18T14:23:00.079+05:30

Shantanu:

Barcelona, the capital of Spain and the most important city in Catalonia was in our consideration set as a tourist spot for a long time, but we were simply not able to fit it in our schedule. The chance came in January 2006, the 6th being a holiday and falling on a long weekend. We estimated that two and half days would be enough for Barcelona. Even though it would be cold out there and we would not be able to enjoy the sea beaches, we estimated that we would be better off in a warmer coastal area than in cold Stuttgart. Therefore on a Friday morning we boarded the Lufthansa flight which would take us to Munich. From Munich we boarded the Spain Air flight for Barcelona.

The flight was uneventful. We reached Barcelona at around noon and took a taxi to the hotel. Barcelona International airport at El Prat de Lllobregat is about 3 km from city. We stayed in a hotel in Poblenau distict, which is an upmarket area in Barcelona, with a lot of new and planned modern construction and also very near the sea beach. The day we arrived, we had lunch in a nearby Chinese restaurant as there was nothing else anywhere nearby and we were in no mood to go out elsewhere. We spent some time at the beach and then had a short siesta (in keeping with Spanish tradition). In Late afternoon, we strolled down leisurely to the nearby metro station to go to our intended places of attraction. The first on the agenda was none other than the famous Sagrada Familia, one of Gaudi's masterpiece. Located in Eixample district which boasts of Gaudi's other major creations, this church is a major tourist attraction in Barcelona. Sagrada Familia is on L2 and L5 line of metro. So coming from Poblenau, we had to change at La Pau. The architect, Gaudi worked on this project for 30 years, since 1882. But the church remained incomplete at the time of his death in 1926. In fact, work is still going on to complete the structure, as per the original plans. The entire structure as can be seen from the picture on the right, deviates fom convention, nevertheless, it captures imagination. The towers on the Nativity facade are crowned with geometrically shaped tops much in line with Cubism, an art form. We roamed around the church and saw the partially constructed areas, but did not go inside. From Sagrada Familia we walked down the Passeig De Gracia trying to locate more of Gaudi's works. After a few searches here and there, we decided to follow the line of tourists. Smart decision, we finally reached Casa Mila or La Pedrera, another unique creation from Antoni Gaudi. This is different from traditional architecture in that there is not a single straight line. If you ask me privately I would say it looks like the crooked house of the nursery rhyme. However, hats off to the master architect who designed such a building, in the prevalent art form called Expressionist. We also saw some other buildings like Casa Battllo nearby and walked on further along Passeig De Gracia. Next on our agenda was the Olympic village and the port of Barcelona. We hopped on to the metro from Passeig De Garcia and got down at Barceloneta. Barceloneta or Little Barcelona was built after King Felipe V ordered the construction of a new fortress (La Ciutadella, now a park) in order to control and punish the city of Barcelona, that fought against him during the war of Spanish Succession. The fortress was planned very close to the city so that a tenth of it was demolished. The people who lived in this part had no compensation and as a bigger punishment were obliged to demolish their own houses. Historically a fisherman's quarter, Barceloneta has always been a poor quarter, with dark and narrow streets, although it's slowly being gentrified after the 1992 Olympics. (source: wikitravel).

The port and Olympic village was walking distance from the station, or so we thought. However walking along the road, consulting the map is not very easy for a tourist as there is always a chance of getting lost. It happened to us as well, after 10 mins of futile walking, we concluded that we must be far from reaching our destination. In the meanwhile a Spanish fellow stopped us on the road and asked us directions to the harbour in broken English. The poor fellow apparently came from Madrid this morning and lost his girlfriend whom he was supposed to meet at the harbour. I had no clue how he could go to the harbour, I was looking for the way myself. While I was explaining this to him, a man in uniform appeared from nowhere. He asked us in an official tone who we are and what were we doing. Then he asked for our passports which we had left in the hotel. We had heard horrifying tales of notorious criminals in Europe who mug in the name of official inspection (happened to one of our friends in Brussels), so we were careful. The person asked me to show my wallet which I did, albeit I kept a tight grip on the money. He then entered into a rapid conversation in Catalan/Spanish with the other person and peeped into his money bag as well. Then he explained to us in good English, apparently Barcelona is notorious for drug peddling, esp. with tourists, so he was checking whether we were also indulging in some such activity. Any conversation between a tourist and a local is a matter of suspicion and is investigated thoroughly.

Finally we located the Olympic village of Barcelona. This is built on the sea front by the Port Olympic Marina. The village was built for the 1992 Olympic Games and has now been converted to other uses and contains the 4 star Hotel Arts Barcelona and Olympic Village Apartments. The hotel is in one of the two tall towers on the Placa dels Voluntaris. These towers are the tallest in Spain with a height of 153.5m. There are numerous sculptures along the sea front. The Olympic harbour was constructed in 1992 and has a huge capacity. It was full of yatchs even in the cold month of January when we visited. It has a vibrant community of restaurants and public places and contributes effectively towards the nightlife of Barcelona. Near it is the Passieg Martim de la Barceloneta. We roamed around the Barceloneta sea beach. The water was too cold but the beach and sea front was nice. Once the sun set, it was getting cold and we felt the biting chilly winds. So we decided to move and come back to our nice cozy hotel room. We spent sometime in Las Ramblas, the main thoroughfare in this city and basked in its crowd and festivities. Even after considerable hunt we could not locate any suitable restaurant nearby and therefore settled for Chinese food at our lunch time restaurant.

Next morning was bright and sunny and we had several things on our agenda. The first was a longer visit to Las Ramblas again and Mont Juic, then the Barcelona Aquarium, followed by an experience of the local culinary flavor - the famous Spanish food - Paella (pronounced as "Payea") and soaking our taste buds in Sangria, the local wine based drink. We strode along Las Ramblas, a 1.2 km long tree lined pedestrian thoroughfare with plenty of variety for locals and tourists alike. It is also called Les Rambles in Catalan. The street goes on and on from Placa de Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus statue at port Vell and has several other streets in its basket. It also contains the largest congregation of shops and eateries in Barcelona. Las Ramblas is apparently also notorious for its seedy sides, in form of pickpockets and red light areas. There is a flower market and a bird's market on the way. Several live attractions like street performances and statues beckon you. Devmitra stood transfixed near one such statue. It was apparently headless and yet wearing a pair of specs and a hat. It even shook hands with her and smiled an invisible smile for a picture.

We ended up near the statue of Christopher Columbus in Port Vell - a 60 m tall monument dedicated to one of the greatest explorers in the world. The man had gone out in search of us (India) some 515 years back and in the process found a new landmass. Now we have visited him from India :-). As is common knowledge, Bareclona was the spot where Columbus reported to King Ferdinand and queen Isabella, who sponsored his famous voyage. The column, hung with a device bearing an anchor stands on an octagonal pedestal from which four bronze winged victories take flight towards the four corners of the world, above paired griffins. There is a huge lion at the base. The construction of this column was completed in 1888. Columbus points to the new world from the top. As it was sited, instead of pointing to the west towards the New World, the statue points east towards Columbus's supposed home city of Genoa. We then saw the model of a typical ship of 15th century. Back then, Spain was a powerful entity in maritime activities and had conquered a large part of the world. It also had established a huge trade with the Arab and other Eastern world. We have all heard of the famous Spanish Armada and how it was destroyed in a war with queen Elizabeth's Britain.

We moved on to the aquarium and shopping arcade. By this time it had started raining and we were comfortable inside, with the fish and other marine life. The Barcelona aquarium is one of the largest in Europe and has an impressive collection of Mediteranean species of sea life. We saw tiger sharks, sting rays, various kinds and sizes of fishes, huge lobsters, sea horses, corals, sea anemones, and even some penguins(!).

Once the rain stopped we went down to Mont Juic and Spanish village. Mont Juic castle is a municipality building located 170 m above sea level. The sky was overcast and there was a light drizzle. We first went to Placa Espanya and from there proceeded towards Mont Juic, but halfway we discovered that we (read Devmitra) were tired and hungry and unwilling to walk so far up. So we retreated our steps back to Las Ramblas and after some manhunting, located a fine dining restaurant. Devmitra was tired of searching and had almost set her mind on Hard Rock Cafe, but I was hell bent on eating Paella. Patience pays. Soon we found ourselves at a table and being served by an English speaking waiter. Not wanting to take chances with sea food, we ordered a vegeterian Paella and Sangria, which came within 20 minutes. The Paella was steaming hot and served directly from the frying pan on our plates, the taste was amazing! The Sangria was heavenly and we soon drank ourselves to sheer pleasure!

By the time we left the restaurant, the Sangria and the food had gotten to us and we soon found ourselves taking the much needed siesta in our hotel room. In the afternoon we went out to explore the Gothic quarters. Barri Gotic is situated on the right hand side of the Las Ramblas as we look toward Placa de Catalunya and the metro connects directly to the place. This is the area where the old town of Barcelona is situated. It has narrow cobbled streets with tall buildings on both sides. Picasso lived and worked in Barri Gotic from 1895 to 1904. Joan Miro was born and lived here during his youth. We saw the amazing Gothic cathedral and the remnants of the royal palace where Columbus was given a warm welcome after his return from the "Discover India" voyage. The cathedral is a largely medeival building with a nineteenth century facade and spire. Its treasures include ancient catalan paintings and dramatic carved gothic cloisters and choir stalls. The martyred Saint Eulalia lies beneath the main altar and the whole building is full of drama and colour.

We also explored parts of the old Roman city wall and the city's historical archives in the Archdeacons house or Casa de L'Ardiaca - an ancient building standing right on the Roman wall. After more exploration of the streets of the city we returned to our favourite Chinese restaurant. The waitress who was traditionally very sombre and grave, gave us a warm smile this time. It pays being a regular customer. The restaurant was busy with several East Asian dignitaries thronging the restaurant, but the waitress treated us well.

Next morning was our flight back to Stuttgart. This was a direct Span Air flight without any change. We woke up late and went out for a stroll along the beach. It was so calm and peaceful, almost heavenly. There were some morning joggers. At around 10 am we called the taxi and went to Barcelona airport. There we spent some time at the airport souvenir shop where we bought a small refrigerator magnet. Thus ended this short but delightful and memorable trip.

Deshe Bideshe 12 - Greece

2008-11-18T14:22:00.064+05:30

Devmitra:

Greece - the dream trip

We had always wanted to visit Greece - the cradle of European civilization, the birthplace of European culture. We wanted to explore the many ancient ruins in this country, esp. the Parthenon. We also wanted to see the sun, the sea & the beautiful beaches. Greece has been my dream destination for like forever. Also the first Hindi movie that Shantanu & I saw together had the romantic portion based in Greece and that endeared the place to us to a great extent. We did loads of planning, research & even wrote to some of the websites that offer to devise a holiday plan for you. Finally we decided on a trip to Athens followed by a cruise on the Aegean sea to Crete.

Thanks to his frequent trips to Utrecht, Shantanu had accumalated loads of air miles on KLM & so used the same to book the tickets. However a "system" glitch resulted in deduction of his miles twice over, bad start to a dream trip :-(. Anyways, the miles were not really ours; after all Daimler had paid for the Utrecht trips. We decided to travel during Easter 2006 & worked out a few days leave to give us 5 days for the trip. We booked rooms in hotels at Athens & Crete as well as tickets on the cruise ship.

We set off on a bright morning on a KLM flight from Stuttgart to Athens via Paris. The entire journey was about 4 hours long incl. a one hour long stop over at Paris. By the time we reached Athens, it was almost evening. Athens today has a brand new airport, courtesy Olympics 2004. After Greece joined the European Union, its economic condition has considerably improved. However this country has had quite a chequered history. Its roots date back to 2000 BC when Minoans ruled Crete. Babylonian & Egyptian culture also contributed to the Greek civilization during this time. However it was not until 500 - 400 BC that the Greek culture rose to prominence. Athens was the main seat of this ancient civilization. There were other prominent independent states like Sparta, Macedonia etc. Sparta was known for its military strength (remember the Trojan war?). Training in warfare was considered more important than any other education in Sparta. There is a legend that newborns were left on top of a hillock overnight to check their fitness for war (how cruel!). Athens & Sparta fought a series of wars called the Peloponesian wars which weakend them both, particularly Athens & made them vulnerable to external attacks particularly the Persians. Athens & Sparta joined forces to ward off the Persians in the battle of Marathon in 487 BC. A heavily outnumbered Greek army powered by sheer determination & superior war strategy defeated a vastly superior Persian army under Darins. Around 432 BC, Athens was an extremely prosperous land under Pericles, in fact this is refered to as the Golden Age in Greece. This period also witnessed the birth of great works like Illiad and Odyssey by the blind poet Homer, beautiful ballads in praise of heroes like Hercules, gods and godesses and their great achievements (the epic poems of Illiad and Odyssey). Greek architecture is renowed the world over; the Parthenon was built around 600 BC and the surrounding area - the Acropolis developed into a prosperous city. The Helenic civilization was the only beaon during the dark ages of West, till more aggressive Romans took over. The pagan civilizations came to an end with the birth and firm establishment of Christianity.

Once we reached Athens, we took a taxi and headed to the Polis hotel where we had reservations. The airport is quite a distance from the city. This was the new airport which was constructed for the Athens Olympics in 2004. In fact the whole of Athens underwent stupendous renovation during this period in terms of infrastructure, which included the metro. The hotel, on the other hand, was in the heart of the city & very conveniently located near a metro. We checked in & decided to explore the neighbourhood before dinner. We dined on Greek salad & chicken and also enjoyed Ouzo - Greece's most popular drink. It was too strong for our tastes, kind of like fried saunf (fennel), nevertheless an interesting experince. Also we did not want to offend the waiter who was extremely friendly & asked us many questions like where we were from etc. We walked back to the hotel & crashed for the night.

The next day was the day before Easter & most people from Athens head out to the warmer islands for their Easter lunch - barbequed lamb, ouzo accompanied by song & dance. There still seemed to be quite a crowd in the city. Our agenda was a city tour of Athens & took a train to the city centre. Once we stepped out of the underground at the Syntagma square, we found ourselves in a park full of people & pigeons. We located the tourism office and arranged a trip to Cape Sounion - the Posideon temple that evening. We also got the details of the travel agencies that conduct day tours to Delphi & such other places. The man at the counter told us that the change of guard at the Greek parliament was just about to start. So we rushed back to the park opposite which were the Evzones - guards to the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soilder, the Hellenic Parliament and the Presidential Mansion. The entire ceremony lasted a few minutes and there was a huge crowd gathered there to witness the change. The guards wore traditional Greek costumes - a kilt like garment & a red cap. After the ceremony, we took the coastal tram & went down to the Glyfada beach. The coastal tram in Athens runs along the sea. The beach itself was very placid. We spent some time in the water, but then it got too hot & so we first headed back to have a lunch at the pizza hut nearby and then to the main square. On the way back we visited the ruins of the Temple of Apollo. At Syntagma square, we found the bus stop for our trip to Sounion as well as the counter of the agency that would take us to Delphi. We bought our tickets for the trip the next day. The bus to Sounion was a normal public bus and it took us one & a half hours to get there. The views en route were magnificent. Sounion is the southernmost tip of Athens and the temple lies on a high cliff. By the time we reached the place, it was close to 5 pm. We climbed the steps up to the temple site which offers a glorious view of the Bay of Attica. It is said that the place housed a temple dedicated to Posideon - the trident bearing Greek God of the Sea (kind of like Neptune, or closer home Varuna) which was plundered by the Persians. It was believed that the temple deity protected the Greek sailors who were out at sea. It was nearing sunset & the view was simply magnificent. But it was also getting dark and so we caught the bus back to the city centre. Once there, we headed to the familiar tavern for dinner & then retired for the day.

We woke up early the next morning as we had to set out on the trip to Delphi. The folks from the travel agency picked us up from the hotel & brought us to the bus stop where there was a huge crowd of tourists - mostly Americans, a few Germans & some English, Spanish & Italian nationals all eager to get on with their trip. Finally we identified our bus & off we went! Our tour guide was a Greek lady, but she spoke fluent English, German and Italian; so she kept switching between languages on the enire trip. We took a small break for coffee & some nibbles and then headed off again. The journey to Delphi from Athens is 3.5 to 4 hours long. We passed by a village which is supposed to be the highest in Greece. At long last, we reached Delphi - the seat of the oracle. The place was a major site for the worship of Apollo and was also revered as the site of the omphalos stone, the centre of the earth and the universe. Our guide took us round the ruins explaining the mythological & historical significance of each. She showed us where, it is believed, the priestess (also known as Pythia) sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth. There would be fumes coming out of the earth & intoxicated by the vapors, the sibyl would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state she prophesied; though, mind you, the oracle spoke in riddles, which were interpreted by the priests of the temple as they saw fit (and convenient :-) ). We then saw the the Omphalos, an egg-shaped stone which was situated in the innermost sanctuary of the temple in historic times. Classical legend asserted that it marked the 'navel' (Omphalos) or centre of the Earth and explained that this spot was determined by Zeus who had released two eagles to fly from opposite sides of the earth and that they had met exactly over this place. We also saw the Athenian treasury, restored to indicate the many treasuries that were built by the various states — those overseas as well as those on the mainland — to commemorate victories and to thank the oracle for her advice, which was so important to those victories. Further up the hill is the ancient theatre which was originally built in 4th century BC. Beyond this is the stadium originally built in the 5th century BC but altered in later centuries. The views across the site were beautiful, totally worth the trip. There were beautiful flowers all over & the sights were totally captivating.

We then went down to the Greek museum where we saw several beautiful exhibits incl. an artist's visualization of the entire site. We then took off for lunch, at the nearest village. We were all seated around tables and the lunch of stuffed capsicum and Greek salad was filling. We then started on the return journey but faced a huge traffic jam on the way. Our driver skillfully drove on the shoulder (typical Greek driving according to most websites) and we got into Agora just as the shops were lighting up for the evening. We got off the bus, got ourselves some coffee & salted peanuts, explored the market & got our own souvenir. Dinner was at this extremely busy tavern where there was dancing & singing & loads of merry making. We had a wonderful time at the tavern before we called it a day.

The next day was our last in Athens; we were to catch the ship to Heraklion in Crete in the evening. We checked out in the morning, left our luggage in the hotel cloak room & caught the metro to the Acropolis. The main site was still quite a walk from the metro station and we followed the crowds towards the Acropolis. The main attractions here incl. the Parthenon are all located atop a hill which we slowly climbed. The whole place exuded history, it felt like we were physically transported to a different time, a different land. Each of the spots was so very interesting and each had its own little story. Most of the major temples were rebuilt under the leadership of Pericles during the Golden Age of Athens (460–430 BC). Phidias, a great Athenian sculptor, and Ictinus and Callicrates, two famous architects, were responsible for the reconstruction. The entrance was a huge gateway called the Propylaea. To its left are the ruins of the small temple of Athena - the Greek goddess of Victory. Concurrent to the completion of this temple was the construction of Erechtheum - a combination of sacred precincts. The main attraction of course is the Parthenon - the temple of Athena. The construction began under the supervision of Phidias in 447 BC and work on the decorations continued at least till 431. Although the Parthenon is architecturally a temple and is usually called so, it is not really one in the conventional sense of the word. It never hosted the cult of Athena Polias, protector of Athens. Nevertheless it was and still represents a significant architectural landmark in the Greek history. Like most other temples of that age, it also functioned as a treasury. The most characteristic feature in the architecture and decoration of the temple is the ionic decoration running around the exterior walls. The pediments of this structure both narrate stories - the east pediment narrates the birth of Athena from the head of her father, Zeus. while the west pediment faced the Propylaia and depicted the contest between Athena and Posideon during their competition for the honor of becoming the city's patron (quite competitive gods here!). Another important site is the Theatre of Dionysus and the now partially reconstructed Theatre of Herodes Atticus. It took us a good 3 - 4 hours to explore each of these sites & the experience was extremely fulfilling. We were also immensely hungry after all the walking around & did not want to go very far in search of food. So we went into the hotel opposite the Acropolis for lunch - expensive but good. Also it was a great feeling to sit there & look at the Acropolis, as if we were very much a part of that historical monument. After lunch, we hung around at Syntagma square for a while before we left to catch our cruise to Crete. We took the metro whose last station was Piraeus, the port of Athens. We had booked tickets on the Anek Lines & I was extremely excited about going on the cruise. A bored looking travel agent handed us the tickets in the office which was not too difficult to locate. Then we waked a few miles to reach the correct quay in the harbour where the ship was anchored. Once we entered the ship, we were directed to our cabin by a steward which was a small but self sufficient room. We decided to get some coffee & then explore the ship. Once we set sail, we sat on the deck until it got really cold taking in the calm, quiet beauty of the sea. Dinner was being served on board & while Shantanu went adventurous with sea food, I played it safe and had some pasta. It was a splendid moonlight night on the Aegian and we could hardly feel that we were on a sea voyage, so smooth and calm was the sea.

The next morning, we got off at the Heraklion port & took a taxi to hotel Kastro where we had reservations. The taxi driver apparently had been to Calcutta sometime back and was very warm and friendly. We got a room in the hotel even though it was early in the morning and also could get our breakfast. After freshening up, we decided to explore the city. We first ventured out to find the Knossos Palace. This took some time as we kept asking for "Nossos" palace (we thought that "Knossos" was to be pronounced thus, like "Know" or "Knave"). Turned out that the name was indeed a very nasal "Knossos" :-). Anyways, thanks to the helpful traffic police, we found the bus stop. On the way, we also paid a visit to the St. Titus church. We then caught the bus to Knossos palace. This is the largest bronze age archeological on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization and culture. The site itself presents a mazelike structure with many rooms linked by corridors. There were remnants of storerooms and elaborate drainage systems. We also saw the many frescoes that adorned the walls of this palace. The palace and the surrounding location have many legends attached to it, one of the most famous being that of the Cretan bull, whom Hercules or Heracles, defeated. From Heracles came the name Heraklion. The Cretan bull was called Minotaur, who was later killed by Thaseus. The mythical king in Crete responsible for much of the glory of the place was Minos, son of Zeus. We spent a really long time at the palace, took a bus which dropped us at Lion's square and had lunch at a local cafe. The proprieter of the cafe was friendly and asked our whereabouts and when we said we belonged to Calcutta, he said that he passed that region by ship sometime back. We then headed back to the hotel for some rest. In the evening, we explored the city. Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean. Our hotel was close to the Lion's square, a residential area & the local market provided an interesting insight into the Greek people, their food and lifestyle. We took a bus from the square to the Ammoudara beach. The approach to the beach was through a narrow lane & we spent a really long time seated on the beach chairs & basically doing nothing :-). We had dinner at a the same resturaunt where we had lunch and went to bed.

The next day was our last day of the trip. We checked out & since we had some time before our Hapag Lloyd flight to Stuttgart, we took a taxi to the Harsonissos beach. However the approach to the beach was very rocky and so we could not spend much time there. The drive in the mountain roads was splendid and the driver took us to really beautiful places. We got back to the hotel, collected our luggage & drove to the airport for our flight back home. All in all, a very memorable & beautiful trip!

Deshe Bideshe 11 - Paris

2008-11-18T14:21:00.068+05:30

Devmitra:

Paris - of art & fashion

My parents were visiting us in 2005 and we tried to squeeze in as many trips as possible between our work schedules. On hindsight, I regret that I did not let them travel on their own or in association with a group; I guess I was too scared which was unnecessary as they would have been perfectly safe and also able to see a lot many places compared to what they actually did. Anyway, I did want them to visit Paris and Austria, but since we did not have that many free weekends, we had to give Austria a miss. We set off in early October to Paris via a 6 hour long journey by an IC. I had been to Paris in July to meet a friend and so was supposed to be the "more experienced" guide for this trip. This was indeed a first because for almost all of our trips, Shantanu dons this role :-).

By the time we got to Paris and checked into our rooms at the Hotel Savoy, it was almost dusk. Like I had witnessed during my earlier trip also, rooms in most budget Parisian hotels are small compared to what I have seen in other places. At Savoy, our rooms hardly had any walking space; as soon as we entered the room, one of us would have to plonk on the bed so that the other could walk about or use the bathroom. And it is remarkable that even these small quarters house almost all conveniences that are normally offered at hotels. Anyway, we did not have much time to bother about the room size or amenities. We left to visit the Eiffel Tower - one of the many wonders of the modern world. It was already dark when we got to the Tower. This is the tallest building in Paris but the economy of the design is extremely surprising - if the 7300 tonnes of the metal structure were melted down it would fill the 125 meter square base to a depth of only 6 cm (2.36 in)! (assuming a density of the metal to be 7.8 tonnes per cubic meter). However maintenance of the tower includes applying 50 to 60 tonnes of paint every seven years to protect it from rust. Did you know that in order to maintain a uniform appearance to an observer on the ground, three separate colors of paint are used on the tower, with the darkest on the bottom and the lightest at the top? The tower has 3 levels and the third level summit is only accessible by lift. As we stood in the queue to buy the tickets, the light show came on. It looked beautiful, as if hundreds of torch lights were flashing around hunting down an elusive secret. However when the tower was built in 1889, it was met with much criticism from the public, with many calling it an eyesore. The designer & engineer Gustave Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand for 20 years. The city had planned to tear it down in 1909 but as the tower proved valuable for communication purposes, it was allowed to remain after the expiration of the permit. Today the tower serves as a landmark to Paris & France more than anything else. More than 200,000,000 people have visited the tower since its construction including 6,719,200 in 2006, making it the most visited paid monument in the world. We joined this bandwagon on that cold wintry night. By the time we reached the top of the tower, we were literally freezing in that biting wind. However no wind could dampen the beauty of the view from that height. The view of the lit up city was glorious, seemed as if multiple small fires burned across the land. As we came down, we were surrounded by hawkers selling some badly designed replicas of the monument. Mom started talking to them in jest, but we were all surprised when she managed to bring the price down to 5 Eur from the asking rate of 20! To this day, this souvenir serves as an introduction to a great story shared with family & friends :-).

Day 2 of our trip & on the agenda was a visit to the Musee de Louvre or the Louvre Mueseum. This is the national mueseum of France & houses exhibits ranging from 6th century BC to 19th century AD. When the construction began in the 12th century, this building was originally intended as a fortress and has been altered frequently over the ages. It was opened to the public in 1793. The present day mueseum houses more than 380,000 objects and displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments with more than 60,600 square metres dedicated to the permanent collection! Structure wise, the Louvre is an almost rectangular building. At the heart of the complex is the controversial Louvre Pyramid, above the visitor's center. This pyramid & the lobby under it actually serves a practical purpose of channeling the stream of visitors to the main mueseum buildings. Its cousin, the more easily recognised Inverted Pyramid is actually a skylight constructed in the underground shopping mall in front of the museum. The museum is divided into three wings: the Sully Wing to the east, the Richelieu Wing to the north and the Denon Wing to the south. With such a huge area & huge number of exhibits, we had our work cut out for us. Shantanu & I are not big fans of mueseums, but in case of the Louvre, we willingly made an exception. And Mom till today raves about the amazing beauty she witnessed inside to anyone who will listen to her :-). Why should that not be? After all, we are talking of the amazing Venus de Milo, one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Then there is the Winged Victory or Nike, another celebrated Greek sculpture noted for its naturalistic pose & the fine rendering of the draped garments. Also Cupid & Psyche, a delicate & beautiful piece of art. And of course, a mention of the Louvre is incomplete without a mention of the Mona Lisa. The artistic significance and mysterious aesthetics of this painting contribute to its world reknown fame. Speculations abound on the origins of the subject and the reasons for the painting. One of the most valuable paintings in the world, it is heavily guarded at the Louvre. We do not claim to be great art buffs, but one fact cannot be denied. The mystery of this painting is infectious; as we walked away from the room, we felt we were carrying a piece of her history, her glamour and her secrecy with us. Of course, this is purely an individual perception; my three year old nephew, for example, had his own explanation for her enigmatic smile when he visited Paris later in 2006 - that she had found a candy & that she was hiding the treat from the rest of us :-).

By the time we got out of the Louvre, we were well past the lunch time. Hunger makes me cranky and the fact that we were not able to locate a restaurant of our choice only made me worse :-(. In desperation, we got in to the hop on hop off bus service. This system is prevalent in most European cities and is one of the best ways to see a city - flexible, informative and economical. We rode past the Arc de Triomphe. This arch honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought. Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I. Construction of this monument spanned 30 years between 1806 when it was commissioned by Napoleon and 1836 when it was finally completed during the reign of King Louis-Philippe. Laying the foundations alone took two years, and in 1810 when Napoleon entered Paris with his bride Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, he had a wooden mock-up of the completed arch constructed. We passed by the Eiffel Tower, this time getting a good view from different angles in the bright daylight. We crossed the River Seine - a major river and commercial waterway in France. We then entered Les Invalides - a complex of buildings containing mueseums, monuments as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans. The church at the Invalides was inspired by St. Peter's in Rome and is a superb example of French baroque architecture. Today this site houses many tombs, the most famous being that of Napoleon Bonaparte.

The bus then drove to Place de la Concorde, another main square in Paris. This square underwent a sea of change from a tribute to France's monarchy to the gruesome location for public executions. The notable to be executed here include King Louis XVI and Marie Antoniette. The center of the Place is occupied by a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramses II. It is one of two the Egyptian government gave to the French in the nineteenth century (the other one stayed in Egypt, too difficult and heavy to move to France with the technology at that time). On the pedestal of this obelisk are drawn diagrams explaining the machinery that were used for the transportation. We then passed by the Madeleine Church and the Palais Garnier more commonly known as the Paris Opera. By this time, all of us were famished. So we stepped into a French restaurant for a much needed meal. Ignorant of the true ingredients, I ordered French onion soup. For those of you with similar knowledge levels, this is a beef stock based soup. One look at the contents & I knew something was wrong. The taste confirmed my intuition and I could eat no further (I do not eat beef). Some luck! Here I was, suffering from pangs of hunger and even though there was food set before me, I could not eat! That's when my knight in shining armour stepped in - my dear husband who willingly swaped my soup for his omlette ensuring that I did not go on an empty stomach. Guess I was acting so cranky that he would have given anything to spare himself the ordeal of dealing with my mood :-).

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel by metro for some rest. The Paris metro is the lifeline of the city. The station nearest to our hotel was Marie de Clichy. Here we witnessed a choir perform in an attempt to cheer the otherwise gloomy subway. Truth be told, the stations at Paris may not be as polished like the ones in London or Germany, but the efficiency of the service is remarkable. Closer home, its cousin, the Calcutta Metro is equally impressive, but more about that later. Coming back to Paris, that evening we took off to visit another famous site - the Notre Dame. Not only is this a famous cathedral but also an example of fine Gothic architecture. Construction of this fine monument spanned over 200 years between 1160 - 1163 when the cornerstone was laid and 1345 when all the elements were completed! The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s when many of its treasures were plundered or destroyed. Restoration from this destruction lasted nearly 25 years. During World War 1, it was feared that bombers could destroy the windows; so they were removed and then restored at the end of the war. Of the five bells that adorn this church, the great bell, Emmanuel, is located in the South Tower, weighs just over 13 tons, and is tolled to mark the hours of the day and for various occasions and services. When we stepped inside the church, we were immediately surrounded by an atmosphere of calm serenity. The stained glass in this church is among the finest in the world and displays a strong influence of naturalism. We gazed at the windows and the architecture for a long time; the wonder and admiration that this beautiful art inspired in us is beyond expression. The area outside the church was extremely busy when we stepped out. The entire place was lit up and looked very beautiful. Getting into the French mood, we sat at a nearby cafe for some coffee and chatted for a long time before finally heading back to the hotel.

Our last day in Paris & we planned to visit Bastille today. We took the subway and disembarked at the station. As is well known, this is one of the important sites of the French Revolution where the prison was stormed on 14 July 1789 marking the beginning of the revolt. Today, the location of the fort is home to the Opera Bastille. Some undemolished remains of one tower of the fort were discovered during excavation for the metro in 1899, and are displayed today at a nearby park. At the center of the square is the July column, a monument dedicated to the Revolution of 1830 that saw the overthrow of King Charles X, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe. We spent an hour or so at this historical site & then took the metro back to Champs-Elysees. This is the most prestigious avenue in Paris. with rents as high as $1.50 million per 1,000 square feet (92.9 square meters) of space, it remains the most expensive strip of real estate in Europe! The view on this street in the night, when it is all lit up, is beautiful; the scene in the morning was also nice. However we were running late as we had a train to catch. We finally made it back to the station & to Stuttgart content with a trip to one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Deshe Bideshe 10 - Interlaken

2008-11-18T14:21:00.026+05:30

Devmitra:

Bollywood in Europe - Interlaken

My sister's family was visiting us in Germany in April 2006. They were on a Europe trip and since we had already visited most of the countries on their itinerary save for Switzerland, we decided to take a trip to Interlaken together. Shantanu & I booked the train tickets and reserved hotel rooms for all of us. We set off from Stuttgart on the 28th of April. The journey to the Hauptbhnof was chaotic! Shantanu & I got back home from work and by the time we collected all of us - my sister & my brother-in-law or Di & Da as I call them, my 3 year old nephew Sonu, Shantanu and me as well as our baggage, it was nearly time for the train. I had not missed a train in my 2 odd years in Europe & I certainly did not intend to start now; but the taxi seemed to take forever to get to the station. Finally we made it & all of us jumped into our train. When we crossed over to the Swiss side, we caught sight of the Rhine falls - Europe's largest waterfalls. We were supposed to change trains at Thun, but were informed that a rail bridge had broken and so we had to take a bus to Thun and then catch the next train. After all this interrupted travel, we reached our hotel Comfort Chalet late at night and so hit the sacks almost immediately.

The next day we woke to a glorious morning. The weather was slightly cloudy and all the mountains seemed to be shrouded in mist. Our hotel was more like a guest house and we had the corner rooms on the first floor that offered a beautiful view. The area was largely residential and this offered calm surroundings dotted with beautiful flowering trees. We had breakfast and stepped out to go sightseeing armed with leaflets describing all the local attractions. Interlaken is a small town located at 1870 feet above sea level with a population of just about 6000 people (source: Wikipedia) but is one of the oldest & most popular resorts in Switzerland. It gets its name from its geographical position between two lakes - Brienz see and Thun see. The main attraction is the magnificent Jungfrau which we planned to visit later in the day. For now we explored the city and did some window shopping. Nearby some people were celebrating Milk Day by handing out cups of flavoured milk. Tasted great, but Sonu was more interested in the balloons around the place. The volunteers tied one round his wrist, but unfortunately that flew away later. Boy, comforting a 3 year old lamenting the loss of a balloon is a difficult task! Later we took the bus to Mystery Park, but on reaching there, we did not find it very appealing and so decided to give it a miss. By now it was getting close to lunch time and so we headed to a desi restaurant called Shalimar. Turned out that we were the only people in that small place. Anyway we ordered for some samosas and aloo parathas. The person who took the order was the owner, cook, waiter, all rolled into one. Food took an infinetely long time to appear. Added to that, he asked Di to keep Sonu in check so that he does not disturb the setting and this put Di off. It was only hunger that kept us there till the end of the meal. Next on the agenda was a cable car ride to Panorama point. At a little height on the hill, there were some goats minding their own business and peacefully grazing. We got to the top by cable car but unfortunately the entire place was covered in mist. So we were unable to view any of the panorama that the place is supposed to offer. Anyway to warm ourselves, we stepped inside the restaurant located there. We ordered coffee & cakes and ice cream. Unfortunately the table that we were sitting at was wobbly and a sudden movement upset Di's coffee completely! Poor Di, it was just not her day! Once we came down, we went souvenir shopping. Later we headed back to the hotel. There was a small library in the hotel; so each of us picked a book & settled in for some rest.

Towards evening, we stepped out for dinner. A short walk brought us to a small restaurant that looked like a typical wooden lodge. Shantanu & Da ordered for local beer with their meal, while I, also trying to get into "experiencing the local flavour" mood, opted for Cheese Fondue. OK, a little introduction is required here. I like cheese but am not a huge fan. And I definetely do not like food that does not smell good. But little did I know that goat's cheese forms the main ingredient of cheese fondue & that smells like crazy! And to top it all, the cheese sauce was accompanied by a huge bucket of bread!!! God, help me! Was I supposed to finish the entire lot?! Well, I was'nt able to, did'nt even make it half way through. Till this day, my experience with cheese fondue is a standard joke at most family gatherings :-(. Da even offered to ship me cartons of goat's cheese so that I could make more of the sauce!!! Jokes apart, it is interesting to know that this recipe was originally devised more as a simple means of sustenance during the long Swiss winters - the staple food of bread & cheese made in summer would dry out & become tough in the cold and so some families and extended groups would gather about a large pot of cheese set over the fire and dip wood-hard bits of bread which quickly became edible (source: Wikipedia). By God's grace, I have never known such desperate times, and now was definetely not one such occassion. So I had to have something to clear my palate but was apprehensive about ordering anything from the same restaurant lest they top it with smelly cheese again! We started walking back to the hotel and came across another restaurant that was almost closing for the day. Unlike the earlier place, this had a more modern setting. Here we all feasted on ice creams. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was close to 11 pm and so we turned in for the night.

Next day was the planned trip to Jungfrau. Even before we got to the peak, our senses were filled with descriptions & pictures of this mountain, widely recognised as the "Top of Europe" - at 4,158 mts. it is the highest in Europe. The other two peaks are the Eiger (3,970 m) with its famous north face, and the Mönch (4,099 m). We took the Jungfrauochbahn - the cog wheel train that runs inside the mountain upto a height of 3,454 m. After the initial grasslands, the view soon gave way to the snow capped mountains. The sight of the Alps was simply breathtaking; every point seemed to be worth taking a picture of. But no picture can probably do justice to the beauty of the landscape - tall mountains cloaked in white and the clouds coming down on them. All seemed so pure, so calm. The train first stopped at an Ice Palace housing a collection of ice sculptures. It was fun walking on the ice trying to keep our balance :-). We were then carried to Eigerwand, which is close to the north face of the Eiger. Here there were windows from where we could look out and take pictures. After a five minute halt, the train moved to Eismeer for a second stop and then finally to the Jungfrauoch. Here we all got off to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The cold was severe but we had a great time pelting each other with snowballs. We walked down another tunnel to a flat, snow-covered area and looked down to the Konkordiaplatz - a large flat area of snow and the Aletsch Glacier - which at an area of 120 sq.kms. is the largest in Europe, as well as the surrounding mountains. After having our fill of fun & games, we took the train back.

We had so much to see, but were running short of time. Post lunch, we headed to the Trummelbach Falls. These falls are noteworthy because they flow inside the mountain - these are the only glacier waterfalls in Europe inside the mountain & still accessible. The Trummelbach alone drains the mighty glacier defiles of Eiger, Monk and Jungfrau. The complete falls is a series of ten glacier waterfalls. The tunnel is lighted by multiple bulbs and a tunnel lift carries tourists to the sixth level from where they climb stairs to view the remaining levels. We reached the place almost at closing time along with another huge group of tourists. The lift operator was obviously not very happy at this and kept yelling at all of us that at 5:30, the lights would go off and the lift would stop after which it was upto us to make our way out if we missed the last trip. This made us nervous, but the desire to see the falls was too strong & so we decided to take a chance. We stopped at each level for time barely enough to appreciate the falls & take a few pictures. The roar of the falls as it cut through stone gave a very good idea of the force operating within that mountain. We were all really impressed and decided to head back to the lift. However just as we were leaving, tragedy struck! Di suddenly discovered that her platinum ear ring clasp had fallen off! We tried searching for it but the rough mountain terrain & the fear of missing the last lift down did not offer much hope. Sadly we made our way out but more trouble was headed our way. We missed the bus by a whisker and so spent more than 30 mins waiting for the next bus. Poor Di mourned her loss while the rest of us tried to comfort her. When we got back to the hotel, none of us was in a mood to go out for dinner. So Shantanu & Da went to a Chinese restaurant nearby & picked up dinner for all of us.

Next morning, Shantanu & I had planned to go cycling. Cycles were available at the hotel for rent. We took off early at 6 am & cycled for nearly an hour and a half. It is rightly said that the beauty of Europe can be best appreciated by road. Our cycling jaunt offered us some really beautiful views. Green lush farms, cows grazing with their bells making a familiar noise whenever they moved and tall mountains in the distance. We cycled till Neuhaus where we could see Lake Thun in the distance and then returned. After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel leaving our luggage in the cloak room. We then headed out to Boningersee which is a small lake. It was getting to be time for our train back so we split into two groups - while the men went to fetch the baggage from the hotel, Di, Sonu & I headed to a McD nearby to pick up lunch for all. We then took a wonderful tonga ride to the station, much to the delight of Sonu as well as the rest of us :-). The train journey was smooth and once we got to Stuttgart, Di & I decided to buy some yoghurt for lunch. Unfortunately the packet that we tried to stuff it in broke & there was yoghurt all over the station floor! Imagine our embarrassment when the cleaner came in to clean the mess! We prayed that we get home with as few more accidents as possible. But funnily today, these incidents are also part of our memories of this short but beautiful trip.

Deshe Bideshe 9 - London

2008-11-18T14:20:00.061+05:30

Devmitra:

London - Dec 2006

By November 2006, we had both left the Daimler team & had moved to a different project with Amer Sports at Munich. We had lived for close to 3 years in Germany & wanted to head back to India. While we were in the process of working that out, we decided to spend Christmas that year in London. So we took off from Stuttgart on 23 Dec and reached Heathrow airport by 10 am. We took the tube to the Waterloo station as first on our agenda was a visit to the Hampton Court Palace. Waterloo was extremely busy & distinctly reminiscent of the railway stations in India sans the dirt & disorderliness. Unfortunately the next train to Hampton was only at around 2:30 in the afternoon and so we settled for a lunch of bagels & donuts from a Dunkin Donuts outlet. Once the train came in, we hopped on and set off. It was a typical December day in London - grey & slightly damp. We got off at the Hampton Court station, crossed a bridge and walked for about 10 mins before we finally entered the castle grounds. This castle was built between 1515 & 1521 and passed through several hands & reconstruction before it was finally opened to the public in 1838. Today it houses many works of art and furnishings, mainly dating from the two main periods of the Palace's construction, the early Tudor (Renaissance) and late Stuart to Early Georgian period. We went through these & then walked through the gardens to reach the Hampton Court Palace Hedge Maze. Planted sometime between 1689 and 1695, it covers a third of an acre and contains half a mile of paths. It was great fun navigating these paths and finally getting to the center :-). We left the Palace and took the train back to Waterloo. We then entered the main city of London & headed to the British Museum. This museum houses more than 7 million objects and was established in 1753. It was huge & encompassed so many rooms filled with so many interesting artifacts - from Egypt & the rest of Africa to Greece & Rome. The most interesting was the Rosetta stone. This was an ancient Egyptian artifact that was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of hieroglyphic writing. It includes text carved in three translations of a single passage - Hieroglyphic, Demotic & Greek. The Greek department also included many objects that we were able to identify - the Parthenon Gallery, Erechtion as well as some surviving slabs of the Athena Nike. We also entered the Museum Library which was huge, simply huge! It has a variety of books as well as audio visual aids to learning about the history of this world. The next item on the agenda was a trip to the Tower Bridge. This bridge is an iconic symbol of the city of London and is often mistakenly referred to as London bridge (remember the nursery rhyme?) which is further upstream. Tower Bridge is still a busy and vital crossing of the Thames; it is crossed by over 40,000 people (motorists and pedestrians) every day! Also the bridge can be raised & lowered using an elaborate system of hydraulic motors & gears to allow large ships to pass by. I had heard of similar bridges in Amsterdam & was very eager to see this in action. We had collected some pamphlets at Waterloo that detailed out the time that the bridge would be raised & lowered and so we hurried to join the crowds who were already gathered there to witness the event. Here are some video shots of this purely mechanical, but nevertheless so amazing happening. I found the whole event very remarkable; one moment you have this huge structure on which are plying heavy buses & other motor vehicles (there is 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) speed restriction, and an 18 ton weight limit on vehicles using the bridge), the next moment all traffic stops on either ends & the two halves of the concrete bridge, each weighing over 1,000 tons each, are lifted seemingly effortlessly to an angle of 83 degrees to allow river traffic to pass.

We had reservations at the Holiday Inn Limehouse which we were told is outside the city center. Also Shantanu had planned a surprise for me & so we thought we should freshen up before setting off again. So we caught the tube from the Tower Bridge & then changed to the DLR which brought us to Limehouse. The hotel was a 5 - 7 min walk from the station & the surroundings were not exactly amiable. During the 3 days I spent in the hotel, I half expected Jack the Ripper or some such crazed lunatic to jump out at me as I walked to the hotel & so I ensured that I stayed as close to Shantanu as possible. Once you get out of the area around the station, it is a pretty straight route to the hotel. And the hotel itself is nice - small rooms but comfortable. Sadly there is no restaurant inside or nearby and so meal times were a little bit of a problem. Anyways, we only had to check in, freshen up & take off on this wonderful surprise that Shantanu had planned for me. We took the tube back to Covent Garden and after some difficulty managed to locate St. Martin's theatre where Shantanu had booked tickets for us to see The Mousetrap! WOW! I was going to be sitting in a theatre in London & see the longest running play in the world! It was a great surprise! And the play itself was amazing! I had not read the book till then & so found the whole experience highly entertaining. By the time, the play got over, it was close to 10:30 PM & the area was pretty deserted. We stopped at a Subway & bought some sandwiches for dinner. Then on we caught a black cab & got back to the hotel. These black taxis are again renowed icons of the city. Unlike their counterparts the world across, they have only one seat in the front for the driver. The adjacent space is reserved for any luggage that the passengers may have. The rear seat is pretty much like in any other cab and the overall ride was fairly pleasant.

The next day was the day before Christmas & we had booked tickets with a tour agency to visit Leeds, Canterbury & Dover. Our guide was a friendly old Englishman & we set off in a group of about 10 people. The city of Leeds is located on the banks of River Aire in West Yorkshire, London. The Leeds castle was built in 1119 by Henry I to replace the earlier Saxon manor of Esledes and it later became a royal palace. The castle was opened to the public in 1976. A typical English tea was also included in our itinerary & so we were first escorted to a warm shack where we were served scones & hot English tea. Scones are something that I have always wanted to try; having spent most of my childhood reading Enid Blyton novels, I was eager to explore this dish. Our guide explained to us how we were to eat the same; we were to cut the small cup cake into two circles, spread jam & butter on the two halves, stick them together & pop the whole thing in. And the taste was too good!!! No wonder these are a constant feature in any English tea. The tea however may be a little mild for the Indian tastebuds who prefer a stronger & sweeter flavour. After this, we explored the beautiful grounds and the rooms with their baroque furnishings. We then drove down to Canterbury where we first had lunch - Grilled Chicken or Fish & Chips. The next stop was the Canterbury cathedral and on our way, we passed by the Greenwich observatory. As our ill fate would have it, both the observatory and the Canterbury cathedral was closed that day & despite our guide's best efforts, we could not go inside. St. Augustine founded this cathedral in 602 AD. A pivotal moment in the history of Canterbury Cathedral was the murder of Thomas Becket, who was the Archbishop between 1162 & 1170, in the cathedral by knights of King Henry II. The king had frequent conflicts with the strong-willed Becket and is said to have exclaimed in frustration, "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" The knights took it literally and murdered Becket in his own cathedral. The final stop was at Dover. This is a major ferry port in Kent & faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel. The town gives its name both to the surrounding chalk cliffs, which a form a gateway to the port. Sadly, the sight of France far across the English Channel as well as the famous white cliffs of Dover was not in our luck. The weather turned extremely cold, damp & foggy with the result that we had to contend ourselves with the sight of some lights twinkling in the fog - supposedly France & some not so white cliffs. We got back to the hotel at around 7 pm . As there were no restaurants close by, we ordered pizza for dinner.

Christmas morning dawned over London the next day - cold but slightly brighter than the previous day. We had planned to use the hop on hop off bus facility available to explore the city. On talking to the hotel folks, we were assured that the buses would run despite it being a holiday, albeit in reduced number & frequency. So we took a tube to the Tower Bridge & waited there for almost 30 mins before we finally concluded that no bus would stop there. It was around 10 am in the morning & we figured that if they had to, the bus service would start by now. We then decided to take a cab to Picadilly Circus hoping that there would be buses plying from there. Turned out that we were too early for the bus ride (it was Christmas morning after all) and that the bus service would start at around 12. The hop on hop off service is the quickest & easiest way to explore any city in Europe. Not only do you have the convenience of cheap travel, you also have the flexibility of planning your own itinerary. Also the on board commentary ensures that you completely understand the significance of the sights. Our bus took us to Trafalgar Square first. This is a very popular square in central London & has featured in most Hindi movies. Statues and sculptures are on display in the square, but the trademark is the Nelson's monument that stands in the center. Also the square used to be famous for its Rock Pigeons. Feeding the pigeons was a popular activity with Londoners and tourists, however given the facts that their droppings make the place look ugly, there are a few birds around today. We grabbed lunch at a Burger King close by & seated ourselves back on the bus. We then went to the Westminister Palace or the British Houses of Parliament. Here is located another legendary icon of London - the Big Ben. This clock is the world's largest four-faced, chiming clock and the third largest free-standing clock tower in the world. Big Ben is often polled as the Most Iconic London Film Location; a shot of the clock is the easiest way to transport a non-UK audience a generic location in Britain. Next stop - Westminster Abbey or the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and later British monarchs. The Monument was our next stopping point. This is a 61 metre (202 ft) tall stone Roman doric column near the northern end of London Bridge. It was designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke. Its 61-metre height marks the monument's distance to the site of Thomas Farynor, the king's baker's shop in Pudding Lane, where the great fire of London began in 1666 and burned for three whole days causing huge destruction.

What's a visit to London without a halt at the Buckingham Palace! The next day, we continued our journey by the hop on hop off bus that first dropped us close to the palace. This is the official residence of the Queen of England though, as we all know, the royal family actually stays at the Windsor Castle in Berkshire. There was huge security around the entrance & an even bigger crowd of people had assembled to watch the change of guards. Sadly we had to rush off as it was getting close to our flight's time, but I can now for sure say "I have been to London to look at the Queen" :-). Before we went to the airport, we paid a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral. This church belongs to the 17th century and is today the seat of the Bishop of London. It is here that Prince Charles wed Diana Spencer. We could not go inside as we had to rush to the airport but the sight of the cathedral was very beautiful. Then on we rushed to the airport & caught our flight back to Stuttgart. Thus concluded our visit to London - the city of royalty & history.