DragonWoman

Sanchi – Madhya Pradesh

2014-08-07T13:40:00.001+03:00

We take an overnight train from Jabalpur to Bhopal where S has managed to get us a great deal at the Noor us Sabah palace, now a WelcomHeritage Hotel. "Noor Us Sabah" meaning "The Light of Dawn" was built in the 1920s' by H.H. Hamid Ullah Khan for his eldest daughter Abida Sultan and through a variety of events has now got the Nawab of Pataudi’s name associated with it.

The hotel is located on the top of a small hillock and from our balcony on the 1st floor the view is amazing!!! The Vindhya ranges, the Upper Lake of Bhopal, the city of Bhopal and of course the peacocks in the gardens! The hotel itself is very grand with its high dome like ceilings and arches, historic photographs all over the place, a library with really old books, a palanquin and a horse carriage strategically placed.

Breakfast, freshen up and we leave for our tryst with history @Sanchi.

Sanchi for me was...well a bitter sweet experience. So serene, calm and clean...maybe because there were hardly any people there. At a world renowned heritage sight I would have expected more interest! The funny thing is - in all my travels to heritage sites in India, I have found myself thinking – what the hell, the whole of India wants to visit xxx when I am here and the pushing and jostling would irritate the hell out of me...and now when we had a site to our self and I mean that literally, I found it odd!!!

When I see a picture/statue of Buddha or think of Buddhism the first word that comes to my mind is CALM and that is what one felt that day in Sanchi...a gentle breeze on a hot, hot afternoon, lush green landscape and silence all around. Automatically I remember something from my school days -"Buddham Sharnam Gachhami."

Sanchi, the oldest Buddhist sanctuary in existence and a major Buddhist center in India is on a hill overlooking the plains. Stupas are always built on a hill - so that their beneficial influence can radiate in all the four directions. The dome represents the universe. Sanchi is not directly connected with events in the life of Buddha but is more of a reliquary mound built by Emperor Asoka for putting the divided ashes of Buddha in an order to spread Buddhism in India.

The dome is covered by a masonry exterior and has a squareish platform (harmika) on top that in turn encloses a royal parasol (chattra) atop a mast (yasti). The dome is on an elevated platform with stairs leading clockwise from the ground level up to a circular walkway, where the worshipper circumambulates the dome. The whole stupa is enclosed by a railing (vedika) and elaborate gates (torana) are built in front of each of the four cardinal points. There are exquisite carvings on the doorways and railings with sculpted scenes from the life of Buddha and Jataka stories of his previous incarnations. Another oxymoron - austere grandeur is what describes the Stupa best!

We walk around looking at the other smaller Stupas, a monolithic Ashokan pillar, the water system, the temples and what they call a small zoo – really??? A few rabbits, a few birds make a zoo!

Lunch at a restaurant at the base of the hillock and we head back to the hotel for some respite from the scorching sun. Some plan for a swim in the inviting pool and some just head to the spa. I was pretty excited – a college hostel mate is planning to visit me with her daughters later that evening. We met after 20years – friendships from school and college are so amazing. No matter how many decades one is meeting after, it’s so easy to just pick up the threads and continue from there as if all those years had never happened. How time flew I don’t know. And we both felt, it was not enuff and that there was a need for us to meet again the next day.

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it; friends make life a lot more fun.

Dhuandhar falls, Bhedaghat - Jabalpur, MP

2014-07-21T13:00:00.001+03:00

Still on a high from the Tiger Ramp Walk at Panna, we start for Jabalpur, stopping en route to have lunch at a roadside joint. The waiter goes through a pile of 50-60 white plastic plates to find few without stains for us. A waiter, who made me feel like a valued guest in his house rather than just a customer. I asked him if the curd would be sour, given the heat and he was like “Ji, pehle aapko taste karayenge” (will make you taste first). And the sample was a full bowl of curd :-)

A relaxed evening with dinner in the room over loads of gupshup.

Next morning we leave early for the Dhuandhar falls and Bhedaghat. It is at Bhedaghat that the River Narmada is known to be the most spectacular and it is here that it displays such magnificence through the beautiful Dhuandhar falls.

Bhedaghat is known for the Marble Rocks where the river flows gracefully for nearly 3 kms through towering layers of marble nearly 30mts high. These are the only of its kind in India. White, green, yellow and black – the marble has many hues and the sun plays along making the rocks glint and shine. We take the recommended boat ride to get a closer look at the ethereal Marble Rocks. The guide starts his commentary in poetic style - he points out the various types of marble in a dramatic rhyming fashion making the usual jokes about Bollywood, women, wives and marriage. His favorite seemed to be Kareena Kapoor and her boots! He points out specific rock formations like Kareena’s boots , Hanthi ka Paon among others.

At one point there are a lot of undercurrents and the boatmen work hard and row in a way so that we cross the river where the undercurrents are the least. At that point, suddenly it seemed as the mountains on the two sides were closing in on each other and we would get engulfed in between – an optical illusion which was so surreal yet breathtaking!!!

So serene at Bhedaghat and then just around the corner we see the Narmada in an altogether other form –full throttle with the water gushing down with full force creating the smoky cascade – breathtaking nature's power. We hang around for some time, dipping our feet in the chilled water. It was a bit sad to see people offering to jump into the waterfall for Rs 10/ :-(

On the way back we pass by the Chausat Yogini Temple standing on a hillock. Even though we were quite tired and the150 odd steps leading to the shrine look quite steep the girls decide to climb up while the guys decide to hang around in the car and wait.

It’s a long way up but worth the climb. A 10th century ancient temple that is the abode of Goddess Durga along with 64 yoginis or shaktis considered to be the different forms of the Goddess. The 64 exquisitely carved shrines, each one depicting a unique posture are placed in a circular fashion around the main shrine where Shiva and Parvati are seen riding on Nandi.

The place was very calm with lush greenery around and we stood in the open courtyard just gazing at the panoramic view of the River Narmada and the surrounding landscape.

Lunch at a friend’s restaurant where we are overfed and a visit to his office. Jabalpuri Special Paan, for which we created such a fuss were not so special after all. The Chocolate Paan was supposed to be good but sold out and so we missed it.

Evening some of our group want to go watch a movie to kill time. They zero in on Queen which 2 of us had seen quite recently so even though it was a good movie, we decide to watch something else. Not a good decision, considering I don’t even remember the name of the movie I ended up watching, forget the story!

Tiger! Tiger! Burning Bright at Panna, Madhya Pradesh

2014-06-21T09:59:00.000+03:00

Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright
In the forest of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And What shoulder, and what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? and what dread feet?
What the hammer? What the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the lamb make thee?
Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

William Blake

Surprise, surprise, surprise - the 1^st draft of the itinerary has no mention of ANY of the wildlife reserves in MP. Logic is simple – according to S, he is jinxed and because in all his wildlife travels, he has NEVER seen an animal, if we go to a wildlife reserve with him, forget a tiger, we won’t see any wildlife at all. My take was – we’ll leave him behind in the hotel. Bandhavgarh was our first choice and we tried to rework the iti around that. However, we were told that tiger sighting is probable only at one gate and there is a limit to the no of safaris from that gate and unfortunately at the time of our visit it was fully booked out…destiny or what, the iti when we set out from Bangalore had NO mention of any wildlife reserves.

But then in Khajuraho, our hotel person recommended a visit to Panna national park early next morning, just about an hours drive from Khajuraho and on our way to Jabalpur. And so we are up really early next morning for our safari. Would we see a tiger or would S’s jinx prove true?

As we start for the safari, our guide keeps giving us info on the no of tigers and how many sightings in the last 2 weeks, the chance, the luck etc. I gauged he was under pressure to show us a tiger…so much so that he missed showing us so many beautiful birds that were flitting about. Finally, I told him…tiger is fine, it is a chance we may see but we are also interested in Birds and those are a sure shot. Why don’t you show us the birds and other wildlife…the smile on his face said it all! And so while the other entire safari jeeps went to the tiger viewpoint (as I called it), we were busy going to another part of the national park – more grassy, with more birds where we managed to see so many birds and two crocodiles . I have seen crocodiles many times but never, never a moving one. In Bannerghata national park, when we went for the nature walk, we saw a crocodile in the morning and on our return nearly 2.5 hrs later, he was still there – not having moved an inch!!! We saw one just lying around as usual at the edge of the water body and then …a movement in the water - finally saw a croc that was swimming and what a huge one…according to the guide he was 10ft…my friends thought he was exaggerating. I don’t care – it was swimming and was HUGE!


The Tigress Emerging from the forest	and walking towards River Ken

We then moved to the tiger observation point – a small raised hillock with a building where the tracking jeep and devices are kept. The Ken River flowing below and the forest across the river…some 10 safari jeeps had been waiting there for a tiger sighting for nearly an hour since 7:30 AM. As we wait, we see them leave one by one, bored and tired of waiting. Finally only 2 jeeps left, one in which a foreigner took a nap and ours. In 10 mins that also left and then as if she was waiting for everyone to leave, the tigress came out of the forest, walked slowly to the river edge, very gracefully looked left, looked right and then settled down in the water.

Several minutes later, she walked out of the water and literally did a RAMP WALK for us along the river edge. Now I know why they are called ROYAL. What a majestic animal. A great 12-15 min sighting, leaving us all totally wowed and me on a high for the rest of the trip.

S’s arguments that if we go with him, we won’t see thing were negated. The way he would go – where, where every time we saw something makes me wonder – jinx or a case of just looking in the wrong direction :-)

Dilli and Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh)

2014-05-18T11:46:00.000+03:00

Casual conversation over drinks and dinner…loads of destinations discussed which I thought would be forgotten by morning...I didn’t really expect these travels to materialize so was surprised to see an email the next morn – “Getting the the hell out”. Some emails exchanged, some recce done, some silence...but then the poke from S. We finally did get out…to a destination that was never really considered initially. No regrets there though…it was a wonderful choice.

Madhya Pradesh, the heart of Incredible India. Really??? If I look at the map, it seems more like the stomach :-). Return tickets booked before the itinerary is finalized…awesome way to get us all committed to the trip.

Considerable reworking of the itinerary …nowhere close to what was suggested at the first instance and Day 1 we are on Delhi Metro for a gastronomic adventure in the Parantha wali gali of Chandni Chowk. Delhi sure welcomed us…what beautiful weather so, so unlike Delhi. Shop after shop selling the famous deep fried paranthas…we finally select one with some empty tables and am amazed at the variety – from the usual gobhi, dal, mooli, matar, paneer, pudina parantha to the very unusual papad, banana, cashew nut, rabdi , Kurchan and nimbu paranthas. My favorite – the Khurchan /karela parantha.

Unfortunately, the famous Ghantewala Jalebi Shop was closed and we had to make do with chat and jalebi from haldirams. After the experience of changing lines at the Central Secretariat station on the Metro, where there was no need to walk…one was just swept away by the crowd, we decided to just take autos to a nice hotel and chill there till our night train to Khajuraho.

Whattaay train it was…at night I kept wondering, so many stations…morning I realized it was one of those polite trains…giving way to all the other trains.

The one thing that started in Khajuraho and stayed with us all along was the hospitality of the people of MP. Always ready to help.

After a quick freshen up, we are ready to explore Khajuraho on that hot, hot day. A UNESCO world heritage site Khajuraho is believed to have had over 75 temples of which about 22 remain today. The sculptured temples are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Jain deities but are more famous or rather world renowned for the sexually explicit carvings both inside and outside the temples because of which they are sometime also called as the Kamasutra temples.

According to their location, the temples are divided into three sections or zones - western, eastern and southern. We decide to start with the Eastern and Southern Group of Temples first and then post lunch move to the Western group. After a bit of a joy ride we reached the 1st of the temples, the Chaturbhuj temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Standing lonely on a high platform, this is the only temple that faces west. We are also told that this is the ONLY temple in Khajuraho devoid of any erotic carvings or sculptures and gets its name from the exquisite nine feet long statue of a four-handed Vishnu (Chatur – four and bhuja or bhujay – arms).

Next was the Vamana temple – with a really chubby statue of the Vamana/dwarf incarnation of Vishnu followed by the Javari temple, named so after the millet crop growing in the surrounding fields. While the main statue in the Javeri temple was headless, the entrance had a beautiful arch with Makaras. At the entrance gate were sculptures depicting Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and the nava-grahas. Finally we visited the Jain temples outside which local vendors tried to sell interesting key chains to our group. It was Khajuraho so I guess I don’t need to spell out what the key chains must have been like…but the killer was –yeh lock bhi ho jate hain ;-)

Lunch and some rest and we move to the Western group of temples. Here we got a good guide- quite knowledgeable and quite an entertainer –the way he would relate some of the stuff to the current lifestyle was quite humorous. And of course all those sexist jokes which one could expect as we looked around at the sculptures around each temple depicting couples in courtship, marriage, meditation, sex etc.

The Western group was more organized with a boundary wall surrounding the temples within a large rectangular complex - starting with the Varaha Mandap we move on to the Lakshmana Temple - unique for its four subsidiary shrines at the four corners of a rectangular platform. Each of these shrines is like a mini temple. And finally the Kandariya Mahadev Temple – the largest and most magnificent temple in Khajuraho

As we finish the tour of the temples, we see parakeets coming from all corners - we hang around and watch as there are these 2 particular trees where all converge for the night…in an hours’ time the trees are full and one cannot see even a bit of empty space …

A light and sound show in the temple complex which left much to be desired – the highlight of the show was the drizzle and the lovely weather :-) . At the end of it we are ready for dinner and to call it a day as we have an early morning start to Panna Wildlife Sanctuary the next day.

A day very well spent and its really impossible not to be amazed at the craftsmanship and intricate architecture of these temples built as early as 950 A.D.

Machu Picchu - The City in the Clouds

2013-01-10T14:37:00.002+02:00

This was a trip that I had been planning for a few years and I was a bit apprehensive - would it be everything that I had hoped and imagined it would be, would it be the highlight of all my travels – pretty difficult considering all the amazing places I have been too including many on this trip itself.

Anyways, the day that I had been waiting for finally arrived as I found myself heading to Machu Picchu! We had an early start that morning as there was a 20 mins drive from our hotel to the train station in Ollantaytambo and we needed to arrive at the station 30 minutes before the departure time. As we waited for all to board the bus, I noticed these mountain peaks amidst cloud cover and this one snow covered peak stood out with the sun light falling on it – a very hypnotic sight. Was this just the start of a spiritual journey?

A scenic ride and we were there, all queued up and I wished I have a nice window seat on the Peru Rail…luckily I do and so worth it –one and a half hour of stunning views of the Peruvian Andes and Andean scenery. The train ride from Ollantaytambo is geographically diverse, and runs along the canyon floor with views of the majestic mountains and glimpses of ancient ruins. We travel along the thunderous and roaring Urubamba River...someone comments – that would be nice for river rafting. I am hydrophobic but why is it that every time I see rapids I want to go river rafting. And once I am on the raft…I enjoy it but also curse myself and promise myself that this will be the last time I will ever go river rafting. But then…there never is a last time as I find myself in a raft somewhere else…sometime later. Luckily there is no river rafting here!

We cross several small colorful villages and are also pointed out the starting points of the 4 days /3 nights and the 3 days/2 nights Inca trails…which is another thing I wish I could have done but know that I don’t have the stamina for it. Maybe someday I can do the shorter one day hike at the end of the Inca Trail. We reach our destination at Aguas Calientes from where a 20 minutes dusty bus ride completes our journey to the Inca site of Machu Picchu. The ride itself is spectacular as the narrow track winds its way through a series of 18 switchbacks up the mountainside. But also very, very scary at times - with almost vertical drops plunging down into the Vilcanota Valley below, whenever a bus came from the other direction my heart missed a beat! Noticed splashes of pink and orange flowers on the mountain side – later came to know these are the orchids or Wiñay Wayna.

The Citadel of Machu-Picchu often referred to as The Lost City of the Incas is one of the most renowned examples of Inca architecture. Surrounded on three sides by the rapids of the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu (meaning old mountain) sits on a ridge at the foot of a hill called Huayna Picchu (meaning young mountain). There is another mountain called Wayna Picchu right in front of Machu Picchu. Many people climb this peak for stunning views of the site from above.

Experts differ on the purpose of Machu Picchu. Some say it was the domain of female priests, the Virgins of the Sun, but remains found on site are of both genders. Some of the female remains show the women had given birth. Others speculate that the Inca Pachacuti built it as monument to his own greatness, possibly as a summer or royal retreat. Perhaps the city was an agricultural outpost, given the number of terraces, water channels and irrigation canals. Or perhaps an observatory, the summer home of the Inca rulers, or a combination of all?

Constructed around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire, it was abandoned just over 100 years later in 1572. It is believed that the inhabitants were wiped out by smallpox before the Spanish invaders arrived in the area. Hiram Bingham, a lecturer at Yale University has been credited with "re-discovering" Machu Picchu on July 24, 1911. He was led up to Machu Picchu by a local 11 year old Quechua boy named Pablito Alvarez. Left untended, Machu Picchu would quickly become lost again, covered with rampant rain forest vegetation.

Watch Tower / Guard's Hut

Our first stop is the Watch Tower or Control gate which consists of a building with three walls and windows. From this place, one can see the urban and agricultural sectors as well as the surroundings and is an ideal spot for picture taking. The lush cloud forest, the brilliant green grass across the ruins, the massive yet immaculate structure of the ruins - spellbinding! Adding to all this, the mystery surrounding the site so that as I stood and looked down across at the site, I was left totally mesmerized.

Funerary Stone

We pass the upper cemetery with the ritual stones. In every Inca city, the dead were buried on the outskirts of the town, which is where the archaeologists found human remains. In the upper part, they also found sculpted stones that belong to the area, which indicated the Incas used the stones to make offerings to their gods. On this same piece of ground lies a granite boulder sculpted with steps – the Funerary Stone. It is a curiously carved that some historians believe was used as a sacrificial altar, given that the Incas were prone to sacrificing llamas. Bingham himself believed that it may have been used as a mortuary slab where the deceased were laid out in the sun before mummification. In the Upper Cemetery just above this rock, he found a significant number of skeletons. But the most striking feature is that it is pierced with a ring, the purpose of which is unknown. In the upper part one can see a body-shaped spot as if people had been placed on their backs.

Old City Entrance

From here we split into two groups. My group had a steep walk up before we started our walk through the citadel. Machu Picchu was built according to its natural surroundings, with its constructions following the natural curves and dips and rises in the land and is divided into two sectors: extensive agriculture terraces and urban landscapes, which contain the main square, temples, palaces and residential terraces.

We entered through the old city gate entrance into Machu Picchu. After crossing the threshold into the ruins of Machu Picchu, I am totally mesmerized by the scale and beauty of the place. There are four squares located in different levels. Embedded steps interconnect these. In these squares social and religious activities took place.

The window lines up
perfectly with the guard tower

Doors are a common sight in Machu Picchu and especially in this sector. They vary in texture, size and architectural style that set them apart from each other, although all have the same trapezoid shape. Some only have one doorjamb and lintel, and some have two. Some doors are simple and others have different security mechanisms such as stone rings, central trunks and other mechanisms which served to tie together beams to make the doors more secure.

The stones all lined up to the angular trapezoid-shaped doorways and windows. At one particular place there was a window and if one looks through the window, it lines up perfectly with the guard tower at the top of the ruins. The Incas apparently were really big on windows lining up with things!!!

Many buildings have a triangular shape that mimics the shape of the mountain behind it.

There are many ceremonial temples and sites at Machu Pichhu. But the Temple of the Sun, used to honor and celebrate Inti, the Sun, and an important Incan deity is considered the most important.

Temple of the Sun

Formed by a series of buildings dominating the whole citadel, the temple has a semicircular shape and is located on top of a solid rock with a natural curve 34.4-ft long. It is composed of highly polished polyhedrons. There are two trapezoidal windows in this building with protruding knobs at every comer, and on the north side there is a carefully-sculpted door with bored holes in the doorjamb. When the sun of the winter solstice in June enters through the central window, it falls directly on the large ceremonial stone. The round building protects the stone. It is best observed from the side, descending the stone staircase in the main plaza.

Royal Tomb

Beside the Temple of the Sun is a two-storey building known as the Palace of the Princess, also sometimes referred to as the Temple of Pachamama. There are tall niches for offerings and the base of the rock forms a kind of cave that is called the Royal Tomb even though no human remains were found here.

The hillside, above the Temple of the Sun is believed to be an Agricultural Zone. To prevent erosion at the sides of the plateau, terraces were constructed, each shored up with stone walls, which were also reinforced with soil. The agricultural terraces were watered from natural sources and were separated from other sectors by a wide staircase.

We cross a tall stairway along which runs a succession of sixteen artificial waterfalls. Most of these fountains are carefully carved out of polygonal blocks and surrounded by drainage canals gutted out of the same stone. The water comes from a source located in the heights of the Machu Picchu Mountain and was canalized during the Inca era.

In the royal sector where Pachacuti may have stayed alongside other members of the nobility, the buildings are particularly large with massive rock lintels weighing as much as three tons, characteristic of imperial Inca architecture. The Temple of Three Windows, together with the Principal Temple close to it and the Intihuatana, make up what Bingham called the Sacred Plaza. The Temple of the Three Windows has a rectangular shape and gets its name from the fact that its main face has three windows and two blind bays. Bingham believed that the three windows framing the distant mountains represented the three mythological caves from which the Ayar brothers, children of the sun, stepped into the world. The walls are made of great polygonal blocks assembled in the fashion of the pieces of a puzzle. Together with the Main temple, this is the most impressive architecture in all of Machu Picchu- the enormous polyhedrons have been carved and joined with millimetric precision.

Temple of Three Windows

Principal or Main Temple

To the back of the Main temple is what is called the Priest's House, or the House of Niches. This construction was unfinished.

Intihuatana Stone

Another famous feature of the site is a carved natural stone known as Intihuatana Stone- hitching post of the sun which is believed to have been designed as an astronomic clock or calendar by the Incas. This stone is one of many ritual stones in South America. It was believed that when destroyed, these ritual stones lose the godliness as the gods departed. This stone at Machu Picchu remains intact and many believe it is still sacred. This could be where all the energy in Machu Pichu comes from – since it is one of the major vortices or high energy spots on the Earth – I believe it is at No 2. It is believed that if you place your hands above the stone, the energy will pass onto you. Many in our group felt rejuvenated…but honestly, I didn't feel anything as such at the Intihuatana stone itself, though the Machu Pichhu as whole has a great positivity about it, leaving you feeling energized.

Intihuatana Hill

Intihuatana is a hill whose sides have been arranged into terraces, giving it the shape of a great pyramid with a polygonal base. It is reached via a stairway behind the Main Temple. At the top, surrounded by elite buildings, is the Intihuatana stone which is arranged to point directly at the sun during the winter solstice. It is carved so precisely that the four corners point directly north, south, east, and west. The Intihuatana Stone indicated both solstices and the two equinoxes, as during those times it would line up with geographic features in the landscape surrounding Machu Picchu. Also, at a certain angle, you can see that the stone is carved to look like the shape of the Huayna Picchu, the sacred peak rising beyond the ruins.

As explained by the tour guide, on the June 21 this stone casts a shadow onto a circle marked on a nearby stone to mark the winter solstice. The mark made by the Incas many centuries ago is still visible.

Calculating the angle of the Sun

He poured some water and it formed a circle!!! And the shadow on it would help calculate the angle of the sun. The Incas believed the stone held the sun in its place along its annual path in the sky. On March 21 and again on September 21, the sun is directly overhead and there are no shadows whereas on June 21 the stone casts the longest shadow on its southern side and on December 21 a much shorter one on its northern side.

The Sun Clock was undamaged for centuries until a photo shoot for a beer commercial. What the ancient Spaniards looking for Machu Picchu were unable to do, modern man did!!!!

Sacred Rock

A giant flat stone erected upon a great pedestal called the Sacred Rock is a polished monolith 3 meters in height and with a base of 7 meters, whose shape reminds one of a feline. From another angle, it takes the shape of the mountain Putucusi that looms behind it. The small square in front of it may have been where poetry and music recitals took place.

Another stop is at the Condor Temple. The shape and position of 2 large rocks here create the shape of a Condor. Each represents one of the condor’s wings spread in flight. The Condor’s head and beak are carved into the ground below the wing formations. It represented fertility, and also, with the movement of it’s’ wings, the gathering of clouds to produce rain.

Condor Temple

The tour guide told us that this was a temple but I have now read that this may just be a sanitized version for the tourists. If you look closely between the wings of the condor is a chamber with grooves cut in the stone to secure manacles and many experts including Bingham this was the walkway behind where a torturer may have walked to whip the prisoners' backs, and a scary looking pit to let the blood of prisoners drain. Clearly the condor was a symbol of cruel justice!!!

We hang around for some more time before a late lunch at the adjoining restaurant and our journey back. The return train journey was quite interesting.

I was in the last seat and was just relaxing, savoring the whole experience when suddenly a devilish creature pounced on me…some of us, including me let out a shriek before I break out into giggles…it’s just the attendant of the train all dressed up in a colorful costume and a horrendous mask. Soon we are used to him and enjoy shaking a leg with him. This is followed by a fashion show of alpaca products…the lady attendant modeling encourages us to join her in the cat walk. Lovely stuff but very expensive.

We enjoy some shopping at Ollantaytambo and then take our bus all the way back to Cusco. It had been an interesting though very tiring day. But this wasn’t the end as we went for dinner at a local restaurant in Cusco where local dancers and a musical band entertain us. It’s quite late by the time we finish and bid farewell to Romeo, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.

The natural surroundings and the mystical atmosphere make this place unique, enigmatic and unforgettable.

Cusco & Sacred Valley of the Incas III

2012-12-07T11:33:00.000+02:00

Bright, bright morning…the hotel looked even nicer in the morning. The courtyard had itsown mini market with stalls selling artisan crafts. I bought really cute, hand knitted finger puppets of animals. After breakfast, visited the chapel and saw something very unique – a cross dressed up in the local handcraft textile!

We leave for the Quechua village of Chinchero. The meaning of its original name is lost, although, today tradition knows it as the "land of the rainbow" because over here the K'uychi (rainbow) is frequently seen in the rainy season and the rainbow was a special deity among Incas. Till today in many regions of the Andes people respect, fear or even revere it and it has been said that "... It is not possible to watch the rainbow, they say superstitiously, without covering the mouth because it rots the teeth. Neither it is possible to point it with the finger because it undermines the bones. Maidens run away from it because if it catches them in the countryside, it has children with them".

First stop is at a weaving seminary for a weaving and dying display. The lady there had a fantastic sense of humor…she shows us a bone and asks us what it is…we make some wild guesses but with a serious face she says – bone of a tourist who didn’t buy anything from here!!! An insightful demonstration follows – creating the wool from the raw material, followed by the dying process and then the weaving process. They use all natural ingredients to dye the textiles, wool and even make their own makeup – lipstick and rouge!!!

Chinchero features a Catholic church built atop Incan ruins. As with most of the towns or temples near Cuzco, Chinchero was wrecked when Manko Inca after his campaign in Cuzco decided to discharge his soldiers so that they could go back to their farmlands and take care of their families. He went towards Ollantaytambo passing through Chinchero and burning it so that the invaders who were persecuting him could not have either food or lodging. Subsequently in 1572, Viceroy Toledo founded the "Doctrine of Our Lady of Monserrat of Chinchero" and ordered construction of the present-day Catholic Church that was finished possibly in 1607. The whole church was built using as foundations the finely carved limestone that belonged to a great Inca palace and it in the 1960s that the Incan palace was discovered under the Catholic Church. On the western side of the church there is a wall containing big trapezoidal niches that can easily let a person stand up inside; they must have been used to keep the nobility mummies and idols that presided over ancestral ceremonies.

Mateo Pumakawa was Chinchero's Quechua chief, Official and Warrant Officer paid by the Spanish army who fought against his own people and Tupaq Amaru II helping to bring about his defeat in 1781. After the Tupaq Amaru defeat, Pumakawa had his victory painted in frescos over the church's gate: by the middle is the Monserrat Virgin, to her right is the victory celebration that coincides with the Thanksgiving procession and the presence of Saint Paul, and Saint Peter holding in his hand the heaven's keys. Toward the left side of the Virgin is the battle representing chaos and Tupaq Amaru's faction.

Near the church a group of women are enjoying a meal of eggs and potatoes. Some of us feel odd taking pictures but they don’t seem to mind us taking shots of their hairdos.

We pass through the local handicraft market and I get to see the gourd art I had been admiring since Cusco in action - a craftsman is busy engraving on a large gourd.

Far off in the mountains we notice snow…and a melted patch right in the middle in the shape of a heart!

As we pass through the village we notice these houses having a stick with polythene tied on it stuck in the ground. The guide tells us that it indicates that these houses have a bar and alcohol is available there.

Next stop is the amazing Inca agricultural terraces at Moray, believed to be an agricultural experiment station. It consists of several enormous terraced circular depressions, the largest of which is about 30 m (98 ft) deep with a very sophisticated irrigation system. Their depth and orientation with respect to wind and sun creates a temperature difference of as much as 15 °C between the top and bottom. This large temperature difference was possibly used by the Inca to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops. It is believed that the terraces, built over containing walls filled with fertile earth and watered by complex irrigation systems, enabled the Incas to grow more than 250 plant species.

In the soil the guide shows us some shells, indicating that millions of years ago these mountains were under the sea and all the geography lessons on the tectonic movements of the earth causing massive changes become so much more believable.

We had spent quite some time in the valley and I was feeling a bit ruined-out. All the sites were kinda blurring together and I was thinking if I would be able to tell one pile of rocks from the next, and so our next stop at the Maras Salineras(salt mines) was a nice change.

These salt evaporation ponds have been in use since Inca times when salt was obtained in Maras by evaporating salty water from a local subterranean stream. The water emerges at a spring, a natural outlet of the underground stream and the flow is directed into an intricate system of tiny channels constructed so that the water runs gradually down onto the several hundred ancient polygon shaped terraced ponds. As water evaporates from the sun-warmed ponds, the water becomes supersaturated and salt precipitates as various size crystals onto the inner surfaces of a pond's earthen walls and on the pond's earthen floor. The pond's keeper then closes the water-feeder notch and allows the pond to go dry.

Within a few days the keeper carefully scrapes the dry salt from the sides and bottom, puts it into a suitable vessel, reopens the water-supply notch, and carries away the salt. Color of the salt varies from white to a light reddish or brownish tan – all these varieties were being sold there. The effect of sunlight reflecting from the maze of ponds was quite stunning and till now they really stand out in my mind.

Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away, on my way to where the air is sweet…can you tell me how to get, how to get to Tanupa restaurant….(to be sung to the tune of Sesame Street)…guess it was the rumbling tummy doing the singing.

Tanupa was another cute little restaurant with awesome food, infact one of the largest spreads I have ever seen in a restaurant. Comparable only to a Dilli ka hi fi Panjabi type wedding it included a live sea food counter, an array of veg and non-veg sushi, countless starters/appetizers and at least 15 types of dessert …woooooo!!!! As we walked down to stairs towards the entrance we were greeted by macaws that seemed to say ‘Hello’ to Meeta and Sumi!!! There was even a little chapel inside the restaurant complex! After a yummy meal, we moved to the back of the restaurant which overlooked green fields with Llamas and Alpacas grazing peacefully and leading to the Urumaba River flowing by. And of course there was a local playing the Pan Pipes! While some just sat on the steps enjoying the scenery and the music, some of us decided to walk down to the gushing river.

After a relaxing time there it was time to move to Seminario Cerámicas – the workshop /mini factory of internationally known local potter Pablo Seminario for a tour through the entire ceramics process. As we start the tour they point to a wall mounted collection of dented and smashed pots – an accident says the guide! It looked so artistic and nice. The collection was beautiful and I wanted to buy so many things…it was only the baggage allowance that stopped me.

Totally tired by now, we return to our hotel to call it a day as we have to leave really early the next day for Machu Picchu. After 3 days in the Sacred Valley, what I loved the most was Peruvian culture - so full of liveliness and bright colors.

Cusco & Sacred Valley Of the Incas II

2012-10-29T11:05:00.000+02:00

A visit to the Cristo Blanco statue for panoramic views of Cusco’s cityscape is a must before we leave the city for exploring the Sacred Valley of the Incas or Urubamba Valley - a valley in the Andes of Peru. The statue of Cristo Blanco (White Christ) is located on top of a hill high above Cusco and depicts Christ extending his arms to the sides, not unlike the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio.

However, the Cristo Blanco is not nearly as tall. Built by a group of Christian Palestinians that were seeking refuge in Cusco in 1945, it was a symbol of their gratitude toward the city.

As we buss around Cusco and the Sacred Valley, one of the things that we notice is little bulls sitting atop the roofs of many of the houses. There is a cross situated in between the two. There's a legend that says that Amaru, ancient god with the shape of a snake, emerged from the bottom of a lake and turned into a bull, an animal characterized by its strength and size which is always willing to help them plow the soil. This brought fertility and wealth. In order to honor Pachamama (or Mother Earth), the natives celebrate a ceremony in which they make lacerations on a bulls skin to make it bleed (without killing it), then put hot peppers (rocoto) on the bull's nose and set it free.

This makes the bull run freely towards the sacred mountains while spilling its blood on the soil, which was believed to make it fertile. In order to obtain fertility, some people put little ceramic bulls on their roofs when the houses are first blessed. This sculpture is known as Torito de Pucará (Pucará is a town where the bulls were originally sold). The bull represents happiness, wealth and fertility, while the cross keeps the bad spirits away. The cross is usually made of iron to stop the negative energies of lightning.

We stop at a viewpoint for our first view of the sacred Urubamba River. Locals are selling some amazingly beautiful handicrafts here – horns with intricately carved handles, handcrafted Clay Whistles/Ocarinas and board games – chess with Inca warriors, ludo with alpacas and llamas. And even seed of quinoa, kaniwa etc. I was tempted to buy some stuff, but we were told to wait as we are heading to the Pisac market where we would get more variety.

Pisac is a picturesque Andean Village and very well known for its local market. If we didn’t have the fear of excess baggage on our last leg to El-Calafate, we would all have gone berserk.

Such beautiful handicrafts – woolies, jewellery, pottery, etched gourd art, musical instruments… just loved browsing around there. Particularly intriguing were the Chas Chas - a Musical Instrument made from goat hooves, the engraved gourd Maraccas and the local dolls!

Soon found myself outside a community hall where some locals were waiting to perform a local dance. We hung around chatting with them and not to be missed was a 2 or 3 year old sharing his Inka Cola with a little girl…so cute. But their program seemed to be getting delayed and we needed to leave for lunch and Ollantaytambo.

The drive from Pisac to Ollantaytambo was really scenic …. Purple quinoa fields just stood out. We reached the restaurant in Urubamba – my favorite on this trip for many reasons. We are welcomed by the most colorful plants. It was open air – buffet with small umbrella covered tables, the weather was just perfect that day and the food absolutely yummy. They had a section on the Original Inca Food – so many varieties of potatoes!!!! And to top it all…a live band playing the local instruments and the most soulful panpipes.

Next stop is Ollantaytambo for a visit to the spectacular ruins of the Inca fortress which protected the strategic entrance to the lower Urubamba Valley. The Fortress, contrary to its name, was a religious complex that housed many temples. There is a set of steep mega sized terraces looking like staircases for gods or giants that lead up the mountainside from where one can enjoy wonderful views of the valley.

To the left of these terraces are the principal religious structures, including the famous unfinished Temple of the Sun formed from six blocks of pink granite that make a wall. Like other Incan temples, the wall runs from east to west. The steps seem a bit intimidating but I do need to see the temple. And it’s worth it – what a great display of building technology, architecture, water design and astronomy.

There were numerous rocks and stones with a variety of indentations and grooves that may have been used for astronomical observations. The most remarkable of these is a vertical rock face with protruding knobs that some say is a solar clock that marks the December solstice and the zenith of the sun.

This is also one of the starting points for the three-day, four-night hike known as the Inca Trail. As we descend back from the top, we walk a bit of the Inca Trail!
On the way to our hotel, we stop by a small quaint and traditional place. Huddled into a smoky room with some intriguing curios lying around, we are shown the process of making local chica peruvian beer - corn and starwberry variant – colorful pink and yellow. Quite tempting to look at…but oh…so very strong! There is a smelly room at the back where they were breeding guinea pigs...it seems Fried guinea pigs is a delicacy here. And the backyard had the most amazing garden overlooking the valley. One of those places where one can sit for hours sipping coffee.

In the front yard we are introduced to the Sapo - a common bar game. You throw small weighted disks onto something that looks like a tall nightstand. There are holes in the top, and compartments in the drawer underneath are assigned point values. You get the highest scores if you can get the disks into hard to hit places on the top, such as the open mouth of a small frog statue. While all of us struggled, Mini seemed to be a born Sapo player!!!

Some Sapo playing and we are ready to leave for our hotel - Sonesta Posada del Inca Yucay, which is a refurbished 18th century colonial-style monastery. What a cute little place it was. The food was not so great here but who’s complaining. Just loved the ambience of the place- mountains are all around, and the grounds resembled a private sanctuary, its own little chapel, a courtyard like a magical little village and what lovely colorful flowers in the gardens overlooking our rooms. 2 shops – one of designer Peruvian jewellery and one for other handicrafts. The rooms still had the monastery look and feel. The door knob and the room key – huge, skeleton, olden types - are the original things that the nuns used to have. We wandered around to a portion of the hotel which still seemed to have retained the charm of the monastery– a courtyard with a huge tree in the middle, wooden staircase and a church bell. The doors of the room were really small…only 5 about ft!!!

Very surprising but really a coincidence – we found the entire Bangalore gang in the hotel lobby in the evening just lounging around….it was time for some Pisco Souring before calling it a day!

Cusco & Sacred Valley Of the Incas - I

2012-10-21T08:46:00.000+03:00

Dream up!

See the shooting chaskas?

We dreamed a dream and it was Peru.

Held safely in the belly of the Andes,

We found this is who we were born to become.

In ceremony, bells twinkle like fairy energy,

Pachamama comes to possess our souls

And kawsay sparkles in our auras.

Fire smoke signals the mountain Apus,

A rainbow ignites and bridges us to Inti Taita.

We ride the rattle to parallel universes

Where the Spirits speak and fires burn bright.

We step through the portal into the heart.

Love wells up so strong it overflows

To fill our cups with promises.

Sojourn on the sacred pathway

With slithering serpent and puma paws.

Cartwheel through the sky with condor.

Come dream the sami into being

Come join the juicy mystery

And “wake” us up as we become “kin” of the land.

On the Inka terraces we receive the rites

Pampamesayoq, Altomesayoq, Kurek Akuyec,

All spill into our energy body, our blood, our genes.

In turn, we radiate out to the world to fertilize and catalyze.

Spirit lives better in us now

And our bodies feel different on us.

Dream up!

Catch a falling chaska.

Like a starburst our commune-ity leaves on the four winds

Traveling independent paths of reintegration.

We stretch the threads we wove in the Andes

To share at our home shores.

It was Peru that taught us

How to dream up

~ Drake Bear Stephen

Legend tells that in the 12th century, the first inca, Manco Capac, was charged by Inti, the ancestral sun god, to find the navel of the earth (qosq’o in the Quechua language) –the spot where he could plunge a golden rod into the ground until it disappeared. When at last Manco discovered such a spot, he founded the city that was to become the thriving capital of the Americas’ greatest empire.

So it is quite natural that when visiting the Sacred Valley, you always start in Cusco. Cusco with its famous puma shape is at 11,200 feet in the Andes and is the center of Quechua culture, the indigenous people that were once the spiritual advisors to the Inca.

But 11,200' also means altitude sickness and loads of advice from people on how to handle it. I was a bit breathless at first and since I couldn’t take the medicines, what I did was just take it easy with slow steps and deep breaths when we landed and on reaching the hotel, had the local coca tea called "Mate de coca” and slept off for 2 hrs! Woke up refreshed, energetic and ready for the sightseeing. Thereafter I did ensure that I had regular cups of the Mate de coca and the Cocoa sweets that we bought at the airport and I didn’t have any problems during my stay there.

A Lively Procession

As we wait for the guide near our hotel, we are surrounded by locals selling us all touristy stuff. A gent comes along - he has clicked snaps of us at the airport and now pasted them on postcards of Machu Picchu , Cusco etc and selling them for just 5 Sols (2 USD!!!). I had thought that I wouldn’t get any such snaps on this trip – I have collected so many from my previous trips, but I was quite amazed at his novelty and so I did get one!

Ronaldo comes along and introduces himself adding that he is often called Romeo…not sure if that was the case or something he made up seeing 24 women! And we head out to the 1st of the archeological sites - Saqsaywaman just 2 kms outside Cusco atop a steep hill. Just before we reach there we see a small procession of people carrying a statue of Jesus and we are introduced to the liveliness of the Peruvian culture.

The Llamas

We walk across the greenest grass to the ruins and have our 1st close encounter with Alpacas and Llamas. As some of us stray away to play with them, the guide gets upset that we think that the animals are more important than the ruins.

The walls leaning inward.

Every time Romeo said Saqsaywaman, it sounded like Sexy Woman!!! So I thought this must be a temple dedicated to a goddess. Was surprised to know it means house of the sun and because of its location high above Cuzco, its immense terrace walls, the labyrinth-like quality of the complex it is thought to be a fortress!!!!

The total area of the site is 3000 hectares but the best-known zone is the great plaza and its adjacent three massive terrace walls. The stones used in the construction of these terraces are huge and polished and each boulder has been carefully cut to fit together tightly without mortar. They display such precision of fitting that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones. This precision, combined with the rounded corners of the blocks, the variety of their interlocking shapes, and the way the walls lean inward, is thought to have helped the ruins survive devastating earthquakes in Cusco.

At the exit of the site, local children and old women wait with their llamas and for as little as a sol one can get photographs clicked with them. A visit to “Inka´s Expression", an art and textile workshop followed where brightly dressed women show us the various natural raw materials. Their clothes as well as the woolies and handicrafts that they were selling reminded me a lot of Himachal.


PHOTO OP	Local at Inka's Expressions

From there onto Kenko, an Inca religious site with underground caves and temples. Many rituals are believed to have been performed here and in one cave there was a huge stone slab, cold to touch that was supposed to have been used as an altar during the mummification process. Creepy!!!!

We return to the town center to continue our tour. As we walk across the Plaza de Armas towards the Cathedral, I feel that I could spend days here. It’s one of those places where you can walk aimlessly just admiring the intricately carved wooden balconies and windows in between window shopping at the quaint little shops. There is a lot to see in terms of beautiful buildings and intricate Inca stonework.

As we were crossing over to the cathedral, a pageant of brightly dressed men and women dancing comes by.

These were the traditional Cápac Colla dancers with such beautiful masks and costumes. The women’s skirts are made with excessive amounts of thick fabric, gathered at the waist, a perfect design to flare up when the women spin, which they often do. The men wear snug white knitted masks and accessories in the rainbow colors of the Quechua flag. Very upbeat and jovial. I was enjoying it so much that didn’t want to leave.

It was only the irritated look on Romeo’s face that made me move towards the Cusco Cathedral. The cathedral with its carved woodworks, altars and paintings was very beautiful. The top wall outside with its carved figures was particularly impressive.

Our last stop for the day was the Koricancha/Qoricancha or Temple of the Sun. Quri Kancha meaning Golden Courtyard in Quechuan), also called the Inti Kancha (Temple of the Sun) was the central site of worship for the Incas. The Spanish conquerors, built their Christian church, Santo Domingo, on top of the ruins though they kept a lot of the original Inca walls. The walls and floors were once covered in sheets of solid gold, and its adjacent courtyard was filled with golden statues. This temple highlights the incredible mortarless masonry of the Incas with its earthquake-proof trapezoidal doorways, curved retaining wall, and exquisite carving all exemplifying their artistic and engineering skills. Particularly impressive were the 3 Trapezoidal windows - in one of the chambers one can stand on a small platform to admire perfect symmetry of openings so that all the 3 line up so that the sunlight flows through. A series of Inca stones displayed reveals the fascinating concept of male and female blocks, and how they fit together. The underground archaeological museum there contains numerous interesting pieces especially the calendar.

After dinner, Meeta and I decide to cross over to the artisan market across the road from our hotel which we found quite a reasonable place to shop. There were lots of stalls to browse through and I managed to pick up my curios from Peru at a bargain!

Amazing Amazon Forest - Mar 2012

2012-09-03T10:52:00.000+03:00

The silence of the forest, the echo of the trees,
The whispers as the wind blows, just as you please!
I swirl around and around and look to the sky,
Through the tall branches, I see the clouds float by.
Can I be dreaming or am I just in a spin?
The peace that is before me, a chill upon my skin;
As I walk, the leaves rustle beneath my feet
Sending little notes of joy, a melody to beat.
I can only stop and stare and keep the memory mine,
The forest has it's mystery and I must keep in line;
I will sit beneath the tree and listen to the sound,
So many different messages are scattered all around.
The whistle of the wind rushing past my face,
Looking for the exit so it can leave this place;
The branches sway and the leaves begin to fall,
I can hear the birds now, sending me their call.
I must now follow and leave the forest too,
Day is nearly ended, the dark will spoil my view;
Tomorrow I can come again, enjoy the peace I seek,
The silence of the forest are whispers I can keep.

Eunice Powe

Was this a dream…or a dream finally coming true…
Was I actually going to wander in the most beautiful Amazon Rainforest with its abundance of flora and fauna that I had mugged about in the geography lessons?

The Meandering Amazon

My impatience increased as I peered out of the plane window to catch a view of the amazingly dense green rainforest with the ‘chai’ colored meandering river. We land at Puerto Maldonado, one of the smallest airports I have ever been to.
I think – and this is a thought that came to me several times during our stay in Peru – I may as well have been in India. The heat, still air, no air con and porters to help us with the luggage!!! While he lugs our luggage for a pittance, we fool around.

Egg fried rice innovatively packed!

We, along with our luggage, cram into a small tempo traveler for a short journey to the head office where we leave the bulk of our luggage and carry only what is necessary with us. We are handed the cutest little baskets with some snacks for our dusty and bumpy drive to the Infierno River Port. It’s a case of hot, hotter and hottest…and soooo still. Even the moving vehicle doesn’t create any air!!!! We board our boat for a 3 and half hour trip upriver on the River Tambopata - one of the 29 tributaries of the River Amazon to take us to our resort Refugio Amazonas.

Black Caiman

Finally…the Amazon River or rather one of its tributaries!!! The excitement…was I expecting an Anaconda or the Piranha??? In The Peru Amazon they believe and follow eco friendly tourism – and it starts with our innovatively packed egg fried rice lunch. One can sense that our guides are quite fascinated by our group of 23 women!!! It soon starts getting dark and Julian points out a Black Caiman and several Capybaras on the river banks. The capybaras look quite eikkie! By the time we reach its pitch dark and we have a short walk from the river bank up to the lodge. We stumble along… the night sounds of the forest don’t seem to make it any easier. A leaf looks like a tarantula, a cicada sounds like the hiss of a snake and one of us squelching along sounds like some carnivore!!!

The first view of Refugio Amazonas left me awestruck… the natural log type construction, the openness of the reception area and dining room, the dim lighting.

Refugio Amazonas

Walkways

Hangout

Dining Area

I had my 1^st taste of Peruvian food and its yummmmm. The curries were quite Indian like. Some also decided to try the Peruvian drink Pisco Sour which soon became a favorite in our group.

Walkways – the beauty of which I appreciated only in the morning since it was too dark and being an eco-lodge there was no electricity, just kerosene lamps and candles.

Our Room

One side open to the forest!

The rooms have one side opening out onto the surrounding rainforest…just a mosquito net between us and them!!! The rooms were separated from one another by light cane fencing, with drapes instead of doors so though they were private, not really soundproof. And since I am a light sleeper, I spent the night hearing my neighbor glugging water! Even the bathrooms didn’t have doors, only the drapes. We just aren’t used to darkness…and for a long time I could hear people dropping something, tripping and just cursing!

Our Guides

Honestly, it was a wonderful experience but I did miss a fan…it was so still and hot. The mosquito net was quite stifling and using a hand fan just didn’t generate enough air. Sleeping without the net was not an option given the buzzing mosquitoes. I was taken to a scene from a typical Somerset Maugham novel. When I had read him describing his afternoons in some colony, I always thought - what imagination. But now I know…he experienced it. I have now experienced the word STILL!

Rainforest Trees

The twittering of birds woke me up in the morning. I think I could have lain on the hammock just staring into the beautiful, deep green forest for hours. The same forest, that the previous night seemed so formidable now looked so calm. A cold shower with organic soap (not sure if that’s the right word) followed by a breakfast with some very interesting local fruit and we were ready for our walk. There were 2 options – a longer, supposedly tougher walk to the Tres Chimbadas Oxbow Lake, which I went for and a shorter, easier Brazil nut tour.

It’s a different story that a few from the shorter walk came back at the same time as us as they got lost and left behind somewhere!!!

We were advised to wear gum boats and I sure was glad - there were a lot of mucky, squelchy patches during our 4 hour walk since the leafy crowns of the 90 feet or taller trees prevent the sun’s rays from reaching the forest understory. It started easy enough but did get quite tiring as the day proceeded. The stillness and the heat can drain the energy!

The walk was very interesting as our guides pointed out the flora and fauna. Pedro showed us the shell of the local Brazil nut. One shell has several nuts inside it. Julian then broke one and we had a tasty treat.

Pedro showing Brazil Nut Shell

The Brazil Nuts - Our treat

Canopy Tower

20 minutes into the walk and we reached a 90ft high canopy tower in the heart of the rain forest– I looked up and wondered…will I be able to climb it? There were three main platforms, each giving us a different perspective of the forest. The lowest platform was at the same level as the upper understory. The next platform was at the same level as the canopy, and the highest platform actually lets you look down at the tops of hundreds of trees and get a spectacular view of the vast expanse of standing forest with the Tambopata River lazily winding through the dense forests. Perched at eye level with the crowns of massive, thousand year old trees, listening to the Exotic birds calling from deep within the jungle – indescribable experience. I could have just stood there for hours and watched the toucans and parrots and scanned the canopy for other birds but we had a long walk ahead and had to leave.

Erotic looking roots of some trees, hazaare type of insects, vibrant and beautiful bracket fungi, Dusky Titi Monkeys, Toucans , Parrots, Parakeets, Weaver birds, White fronted Nun Birds,...wattawalk!

Bracket Fungi

Dusky Titi Monkey

Parakeet

Tres Chimbadas Oxbow Lake group

Blue Swallows

Finally we reached our destination…the oxbow lake. A large flat platform like boat takes us around the lake in our search for the giant river otters. We aren’t so lucky. We do see some fish which Pedro insists was the Piranha. I have my doubts looking at the way they enjoyed Maria’s crackers. If Piranha, wouldn’t they have enjoyed one of us more? Nearer the edge was a branch sticking out of the lake with 2 blue swallows, which didn’t fly off as we got closer but just flitted around there playfully!

Alligator

As we approach the bank on our return, some people there told us to hush up and pointed to a small boat docked there. An alligator was basking in the sun inside the boat with a little butterfly chilling out on his snout!!!

Suddenly Julian stopped and who would have thought that he would actually show us a Tarantula!!! It sure did send shivers down my spine.

Mamma and Baby Turtles

Tired, sweaty but very satisfied, we returned to the lodge - a refreshing shower, yummy lunch and a short nap before we were off again for our Ethnobotanical Tour. We needed to cross over the river and at the bank we saw the cutest sight ...mamma and baby turtle out for a tight rope/branch walk!!!

At the farm across the river we devour on the sugarcane, star fruit and fruits freshly plucked from the trees. We were really lucky to sight a beautiful variety of birds – Emerald Toucanet, Yellow Tufted Woodpecker, Blue Grey Palm Tanager, Tropical Kingbird, Forest Elaenia, Black fronted Nun Bird, Epaulet Oriole and a vibrant orange bird for whose name I can’t recognize my own handwriting on the piece of paper I wrote these names on :-(

After dinner some of us went for a night walk and what a mind-boggling variety of insects and spiders we saw – no wonder it is considered the No 1 Biodiversity Hotspot of the world. Next day we had to leave real early for our next destination. The beauty of dawn breaking over the Amazon that we experienced on our boat ride back makes me rate it as the No 1 place to watch a dawn.

Iguazu Falls,South America- Mar 2012

2012-06-15T13:27:00.001+03:00

Let your soul be satisfied
with the odd beauty of this landscape
that although the world walk in truth
you'll never find, like this, nothing.
Good and bad dynamic and changing
find here, from ist name,
keep in your heart of man humble
a true and consistent message.
Meditate and feel the deep emotion
contemplating the vibrant climax
eternal mist that is circled.
And do not try to describe it in your voice
only he leans his forehead against the abyss
is the mirror of the word of God.

-Alfonso Ricciutto

I have met many guides during the course of my travels – interesting ones like Stephen in New Zealand, chic ones like Qui in China, boring ones – can’t remember her name at Athens! I had yet to meet one who could manage a large group especially a group of women effectively!!! Till Oliver, our guide at Iguazu falls, who was a class apart! And considering the nature of the touring in Igazu, he really deserves a pat on the back. Funny, flirtatious – poor CN who was at the receiving end of all his comments, thorough with his explanations – so thorough that at our hotel which had the system where lights etc can be controlled from the telephone instrument, he got the telephone from the reception to show us how to use it and making sure that we all kept to his times!

Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide with 275 cascades spread in a horseshoe shape over nearly two miles of the Iguazu River, the Iguazu falls lie on the Argentina - Brazil border and are a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. The border between Brazil and Argentina runs through one of the larger falls called Devil's Throat. In 2011 it was declared as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

We arrive at the Foz do Iguaçu International Airport which is in Brazil and the plan is to leave immediately to visit the Argentina side of the falls. On the way there is a particular point where the Parana and Iguazu rivers meet and so do the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. We can’t stop there, but Oliver is like – keep your cameras ready and click on the count of three :-)

Oliver collects our passport for stamping and tells us that the Argentinean custom controls are very strict so we should just not get off the bus for clicking snaps etc when we stop on the Argentinean side. He sure was experienced!!!!

However, on the Brazilian side he lets us off – in a shop!!! What amazing Amethyst!!! As usual we get busy shopping, but with a promise that he will get us here again either on the way back or the next morning, he manages to get us on to the bus again.

The falls are part of a practically virgin dense jungle ecosystem protected by Argentine and Brazilian national parks. We have lunch at the restaurant in the park and then take the Rainforest Ecological Train, a lot like the toy trains, across the forest to the entrance of trails.

Two thirds of the falls are on the Argentinean side of the river and walkways across the forest allow close views of falls. We take 2 trails - the Upper and Lower. Walking along we encounter some Quachi Racoons frolicking around on the track and some amazing birds and butterflies. And this is where I feel bad about the loss of my memory card and snaps. A beautiful butterfly on a guy’s knee…I ask him to freeze as I take snaps of it. Sweet fellow obliges. On a bench some people left crackers and a butterfly is captured nibbling away. Various shots of a blue butterfly perched on the railing with an 8 on its wings as it flutters away:-(

At some points one can literally walk over the water gushing into the Devil's Gorge. One of the walkways takes us directly over the falls of the Devil's Throat, the highest and deepest of the falls, with water pouring into it from three sides. I cannot describe with words what I felt at that time – beautiful, sublime, picturesque, awesome …I think one must put ones head in the spray of water to really feel the power and beauty. The Iguazu falls are among the widest in the world but because it is split into hundreds of discrete falls and large islands, it isn’t seen as one big curtain of water, but many spectacular smaller falls. The shape of the walkways is such that one enjoys so many different views and at one point near the end we are surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls.

So with Meeta’s words - FULL BEAUTA – still ringing in our ears we trace our steps back to the train and collapse in the bus. It seems that at the border, the passport control wanted to count the heads and boarded the bus to check – only to see a busload of sleepy heads! I wouldn’t know – I was fast asleep. By the time we reached our hotel, we all were refreshed for our drinks partyyyyy in Sumi’s room where Meeta and Sumi made some heady cocktails!

Next morning we leave to see the Brazilian side of the falls. The real enormity of the falls hits us. Though Brazil has only 20% of the balls, it has the most panoramic views. At the start of the trail, one can just look across to all the falls on the Argentina side. We then walk through the subtropical forest of National Iguaçu Park and stop several times to see the falls. Its brilliant, no doubts, but many of us start getting the feeling that the previous day was more impressive…but like its often said – leave the best for the last!

The walkway along the canyon has an extension to the lower base of the spectacular Devil's Throat, where fourteen falls drop 350 feet with such force that there is always a 100 foot cloud of spray overhead. The Mist, the Rainbows…not one but 3 at one time was breathtaking!

Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States' First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" I haven’t seen the Niagara Falls, but I can’t imagine anything beating what I saw here!

And the cheery on the cake – my window seat on the flight out…I managed to get an aerial view of the falls!

Reuse, Recycle, Resell!

2012-06-06T13:09:00.001+03:00

It’s CSR week at Logica and we at the Writer’s Club are writing for any cause that is close to our hearts.
My contribution -

A friend wondered - Will our children ever know the connection between these two?

When I sent the first draft of this post to a friend to read, she said “there may be some who don’t know what a cassette is!!!”.
So for all ye from the iPOD generation, this is what we used to jam up our evenings, listening to music on Tape Recorders and Walkmans!

I get all nostalgic.
We were not allowed walkmans in school. But rules are for breaking, aren’t they? Sneaking up to the terrace with our walkmans, sharing the earphone with the less fortunate (?), listening to Wham (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley), Bruce Springsteen and our favorite was Cyndi Lauper with Girls Just Want to Have Fun!!

Remember those days when our favorite audio cassettes would get all tangled up and we would use our pencils so diligently to roll back the tape.

She doesn’t let me reminisce for long!
In line with her belief of reusing, she comes up with a brilliant idea! Let’s retain the connection and the memories with this wonderful pen/pencil stand.

This is just one of her ideas. Just Google ‘Anokhi Planet’ and you will be amazed at some of her other innovative eco-friendly ideas!

The mantra is Reuse. Recycle. Resell. I have always encouraged the principles of reuse and recycle in my daily life so that I can reduce my contribution to the landfills. I believe that we shouldn’t just don’t throw out stuff that we don't need. If we think, we can reuse or recycle. But in all honesty, I wasn’t so innovative with my reuse / recycle ideas. And resell didn’t exist - either Hoard or Throw!!!
Till I went to a flea market organized by a group – Second to None, Bangalore (can be found on Facebook). To quote the founders of that group- “Find a new lease of life for objects around you. Don't discard. Resell. Don't waste. Share. Before you buy new, discover the charm of the old."

The reuse ideas that I saw at that market left me flabbergasted. There were soooo creative. I agree that maybe we all are not that creative. But they also post many of these ideas on their Facebook page. We can even post some stuff there and ask for creative ideas for reuse and there will definitely be some responses. Reselling cannot get easier than on this site.

Reusing may be a bit tedious. But the satisfaction from converting a Kelloggs cornflakes carton to a gifting bag, a Pringles box to an earrings organizer, an old pair of jeans/ shorts to a toothpaste/brush holder cannot be described.

To REUSE Mahatama Gandhi’s famous quote – “Simple Ideas, Immense Satisfaction!”

MY RAINBOW RACE

2012-06-05T09:28:00.001+03:00

One blue sky above us
One ocean lapping all our shore
One earth so green and round
Who could ask for more
And because I love you
I'll give it one more try
To show my rainbow race
It's too soon to die.
Some folks want to be like an ostrich,
Bury their heads in the sand.
Some hope that plastic dreams
Can unclench all those greedy hands.
Some hope to take the easy way:
Poisons, bombs. They think we need 'em.
Don't you know you can't kill all the unbelievers?
There's no shortcut to freedom.
Go tell, go tell all the little children.
Tell all the mothers and fathers too.
Now's our last chance to learn to share
What's been given to me and you.

Words and Music by Pete Seeger (1967)

Rio de Janeiro – Mar 2012

2012-05-25T13:26:00.001+03:00

Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes
Goes "A-a-a-h"
When she walks she's like a samba
When she walks, she's like a samba
That swings so cool and sways so gentle
That when she passes, each one she passes
Goes "A-a-a-h"

Rio de Janeiro is locally pronounced as ‘Hee-oh dae shanairo’. And let me tell you that it’s not so easy, as was evident from all the twisted faces that we made as Ronaldo taught it to us on our ride from the airport to the hotel. And we are introduced, in a lighter vein, to the City Wars - Rio de Janeiro vs São Paulo. We are stuck in a traffic jam, which is unusual for Rio as per our guide. Traffic jams are found only in São Paulo!!!

Rio has long been romanticized - whether by the 1962′s hit “Girl from Ipanema” or more recently, when Cristo Redentor was selected as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. It is difficult to resist a city that’s wedged between lush jungle and crystal-clear ocean – no wonder it is the most visited city in the Southern hemisphere.

It was a bit late by the time we reached the hotel. Some of us decide to go and experience the vibrant night life later and try the Caipirinha (again recommended by Laura). I wanted to go, but a 10 minutes stretch on the bed turns into a deep slumber! So again, am up at 4:00 freakin' AM. Luckily for me, I had a roomie who just gets up with me without a sigh!!! We decide to go to the Copacabana beach, only a 10 mins walk from our hotel, for an early morning walk. Copacabana beach, considered one of the top 10 beaches of the world, hosts the biggest outdoor New Year party every year. And everyone wears white!!!

It was simply beautiful – the sunrise, the coast-hugging mountains including the famous Sugarloaf, the turquoise waters… Soon we are joined by a few others and are enjoying ourselves in the water, when we see A and N coming from the other end of the beach towards us. What they tell us leaves us all shocked. They have been mugged off their cameras - at knife point. Locals on the beach just ignored the whole incident. A little jittery as all of us were carrying cameras, we decide to go back.

Little later, our city tour takes us along the Guanabara Bay and Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (lagoon) and through the Rebouças tunnel. This tunnel links the southern and northern parts of the city cut in half by the Tijuca ridge that makes Rio the only city in the world to have a National Park 5 minutes from downtown. From the Cosme Velho district, we take a cogwheel train to go up the Corcovado Mountain to visit Christ, the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) statue. “Corcovado” means hunchback and that is what the granite hill looks like. Its original name is Pinaculo da Tentacao or Pinnacle of Temptation alluding to the Biblical Mountain.

The statue, 130 feet tall with a span from fingertip to fingertip of 28m, arms outstretched, as if it is embracing the city and welcoming all the visitors is magnificent. Covered with a mosaic of soapstone, it is one of Rio's finest Art Nouveau monuments and the largest Art Deco and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world.The status was very impressive, no doubt. But like I was explaining to someone, there are some churches /temples/ status which are very touristy while some evoke in us religious sentiments, want us to sit down and just close our eyes. It’s happened to me at many places during my travels. I particularly remember one small church in the Barcelona old quarter, where a service was going on and I just sat there for close to an hour! This was NOT one of them. It didn’t have to be Jesus. Could have been Pele for all I cared! But that does not take away from it, its magnificence.

The vantage point offers stupendous views of downtown Rio, the bay, Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches. The white of the cliffs, the blue of the sky, the green hills and ever-changing shore is so meditative.

We then visit the Samba Stadium where the Rio Festival and the completions between the various schools take place every year. It’s actually supposed to be closed, but they are bringing down the stands from the recently concluded festival so we manage to go in and decide to have our own Samba school!

Rio’s Catedral Metropolitana sure was an odd shaped building. Infact, it is one of the 50 most extraordinary churches in the world. Conical in form, it didn’t look like a cathedral at all, but more like a Pyramid of Egypt!!! The inside is 12 sided with four rectilinear stained glass windows that are a massive 210 ft tall and soar from floor to ceiling to a cross shaped roof of lights. I distinctly remember that after the scorching sun, the cool interior was really welcome! Now I have read about its green architecture, much ahead of the times when it was built in the 1970’s. There are no windows at all - the four huge stained glass windows are there but otherwise there are no open windows. The fresh air comes through openings in the walls that are layered so that rain cannot come in but cool air can. The architect has designed it in such a way that no electricity is needed for cooling the building. Hot air rises and leaves through the top vents and cool air comes in through the open doors and lower vents. Electricity is not needed to light the building either as usually sufficient light passes through the stained glass windows, the vents and the large doors.
It was designed by the world renowned Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. According to our guide, there was a competition held to select a design for the new cathedral and this one was chosen because it was cheap to build and also cheap to maintain ( no painting and little external cleaning required) and also cheap to upkeep as very little is needed to cool or light the inside of the building!!! There is a beautiful wooden cross with Jesus hanging from the roof. I just love the place. Some carol singing from a room at the back makes it perfect!

From there we go to an Italian restaurant for Lunch. The food takes ages to come. I am a vegetarian but for this trip I had decided I will be open to trying some non-veg so I decide to have the pomfret. It’s the only non vegetarian meal that I enjoyed. We had a choice of 3 desserts. The papaya dessert sounds very weird but it’s the yummiest. We are lucky. All the confusion from the delay, they mess up our order and get us more of that!!!

We visit the legendary Pão do Açucar better known as Sugar Loaf Mountain because it resembles the early large-lumps of sugar supplied to shops which they would simply slice a lump off when someone came to purchase sugar.

Driving around Copacabana and Ipanema beaches we cross the university area where we see several boys with painted bodies. It seems that’s a part of their ragging and inclusion to the tribe! Return to our hotel to get ready for our ‘Pink’ evening. We all are expected to wear pink for dinner at one of the barbecue restaurants. The waiters come with various cuts of meat at the table. Unfortunately I am sitting at a corner and they would come suddenly with these huge chunks of meat. It is here that I decide – I can’t eat non veg. All that meat just got to me and I return to being a vegetarian!

After dinner we go for a Rio by Night Plataforma Show - a samba show. 7 feet tall ladies dressed in samba attire come around to get photographs clicked. They tower over even the tallest of us and are nearly double the size of the some of the shortest in our group. The show begins where the "mulatas" exhibit the intricate steps of local dances and "batuqueiros" produce a delirium beat from exotic percussion instruments. After the show, we leave cracking chocolate jelly / mousse jokes amongst us all the way back to the hotel.

São Paulo – March 2012

2012-05-22T15:26:00.001+03:00

“Non dvcor, dvco”
(Motto of São Paulo translating as "I am not led, I lead.”)

As we landed at São Paulo, our first stop on the South American trip, our excitement was just so obvious– like little kids grabbing window seats, peering out and clicking snaps. The first impressions are of a rapidly growing congested city with all those skyscrapers. After all, it is the third largest city in the world!

At the airport we are greeted by our bubbly guide Laura. She doesn’t stop talking for even a minute, as we move from the airport to our hotel, which is at the other end of the city, nearly an hrs drive away- giving us so much information about her city, Brazil, Brazilian culture, what to eat, what to drink etc etc. It starts raining & pouring and we are transported to our very own Bengaluru / Mumbai with traffic jams and over flooded streets! She warns us that this is a daily thing – morning will be nice and sunny and it will start raining at 4:00 PM. And she is so right, as we encounter rain again at the same time the next day!!!

She tells us that traffic jams are so bad here that São Paulo has the 2nd highest no of helicopters per person in any city in the world. Many of the high-rises have helipads. The business honchos feel that the cost of owning and maintain a helicopter are less than the cost of the time wasted in traffic jams. Plus there is the added benefit of freedom from the fear of mugging and kidnapping.

M and I decide to call it a day early. The downside of that is that we are up at 2:00 AM, ready and packed by 5:00 AM and at the breakfast table at 6:00 AM. No one seems to speak English as we struggle and finally succeed to explain Laura’s recommendation - 'cheese bread' (pão de queijo ) to the staff. It’s yummy especially if eaten hot!!!

We finish breakfast and no one from our group is to be seen so we decide to go for a walk. And that was the best part of the day. My initial impressions of this being just another economic power-house with offices, offices and still more offices are changed. Just a short walk from our hotel in the business centre, and we are in lovely neighborhood. It’s full of bakeries and patisseries which have the most amazingly creative ideas for their shops, cakes, vans! Then we see a computer repair shop – that was like height of creativity. They gate of the place had been decorated with chips, keyboard and mouse. The banner had an old laptop with a stethoscope around it…he is after all a doctor for sick laptops!!!!

A cute little dog scampers up – he has orange balloons for socks!!! What a great idea, considering the dampness left by the rain of the previous day.

Back at the hotel, Laura has arrived. As we wait for the bus she gives us a samba demo!!! We leave for the city tour. What a city of contrasts - next to the modern High Rises are the 'The Favelas'. These are supposedly the 'slums' of Brazil but as Maria rightly pointed out - they ain't no 'Dharavi'!!! Inspite of being slums, they are on neat clean tree lined roads

The municipality developed a slum demolition and redevelopment program named Cingapura (Portuguese pronunciation of Singapore). But that was a failure and now what they have is the Favelas, still existing as is behind the Cingapura.

We pass by the official residence of the Governor against the backdrop of towering, modern skyscrapers – again a wonderful blend of the traditional & the contemporary.

Located on Paulista Avenue is the striking São Paulo Museum of Art, one of the postcard monuments of the city. It can’t be missed - it’s a large concrete and glass structure raised above the sidewalk, supported on two huge bright red beams on one side. From there we pass through Ibirapuera Park with it’s beautiful gardens and lakes. It is a huge 2 million square meter oasis of green in the heart of down-town São Paulo.

At the entrance to the park, we stop to admire another of São Paulo's postcard monuments - Monumento às Bandeiras, popularly called by the locals as the Push Push monument. It’s homage to the first settlers, the Bandeirantes. The name literally means "monument to the flags" i.e. "those who follow the flags", which was the name used to refer to these private explorers.

Inside the park, we stop by the lake and admire the obelisk – a monument built in memory of the republicans that were killed in the 1932 revolution.

Laura introduces us to a Brazilain term – Jeitinho which the Bangaloreans can equate with ‘Adjust Maadi’. She changes the itinerary because she knows we will enjoy the local market more than a soccer stadium. So we stop at this market with the most amazing fresh fruits, spices, food, meats & sweets!!!!! Everything looked so tempting it was hard to decide what to try and what to leave.

We first attacked a fresh fruit stall and tried some of the freshest fruits! M bought her lunch – a chicken Pastel de Bacalhau. It was a wee bit salty, but still quite nice.

Obviously Brigadeiro was not to be missed. In southern Brazilian states is it called as negrinho, literally "blackie" and is just a simple chocolate bonbon, but wow…was it yummy!!! There were other flavors also and I tried a pista one which was also amazing!

Soon it was time to leave and say good bye to the market, São Paulo and Laura. One image that stays with me is the friendliness of Laura. She had bought her lunch, a vegetarian Pastel with corn and banana at the market and she willingly was letting some of us try it.

Why do I travel?

2012-05-16T10:08:00.001+03:00

I was asked to write for the Logica’s Women Network blog on Travel. They couldn’t have chosen a better topic for me to write on. Below is what I posted on the Garam Chai blog.

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page! - St. Augustine

I love to travel, explore new places and re-explore already explored places!
People who know me say, my eyes twinkle and I become a different person when I talk of old travels and plan for new travels.
Why do I travel? To learn and grow – when I visit better countries, I wish to improve my own. I have now realized it is possible to drive without honking and I do try to do so. And if I travel to a country worse than mine, I learn to appreciate my own country.

The perspective of the word Still changed after my visit to the Amazon Forest.
Visiting Hampi, Ajanta & Ellora, Golden temple, I learnt that as we build the so called ‘state of art’ sky scrapers, we forget Beauty.
Fear was redefined after being chased by an elephant in Kabini.
Skydiving in New Zealand instilled in me a new found Respect for myself.
Scandinavians give a new character to the word Honesty.
As we travelled in the Norwegian Fjords, I discovered Majestic.
For the first time we Listened to our guide to stick together, after my friends were mugged on Copacabana beach in Rio.

I could go on and on but for now I want to leave you all with a beautiful quote from Mark Twain - “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

A bit of Johannesburg – March 2012

2012-05-14T11:20:00.001+03:00

What a start to the trip! I had just finished my immigration and was waiting for the rest to join me when an official approached me and wanted to know if I was Sumitra or belonged to her group. As I nodded he asked for my passport and rechecked my visa and says –‘see ur visa is OK. But one of your frens has a transit visa and so we can’t let her out.’ WHAAAAT! I went to the baggage collection to send Sumi back to immigration and start the beginning of what seemed an endless wait. 2 were missing – Nalini and Smita. Finally Sumi returned …but only with Nalini – mixed feelings …whew for Nalini (they kept her passport for a day and allowed her out), and bewilderment for Smita – where the hell was she? We walk out and see her standing there – she had been up and down to the hotel 3 times in the shuttle looking for us! A porter accosts us and offers to show us the way to bus stop for the shuttle. But we had heard so many horror stories about Jo’burg that we found it difficult to trust him. On hindsight – what were we thinking? That one man is going to kidnap 20 of us!!!

A quick nap and lolee (yummy Sindhi style paranthas) courtesy Meeta’s mom and off we were to the Lion Park. The Lion Park - neither a game reserve nor a zoo, is split into two areas – one area for the herbivores such as zebra, giraffe, antelopes etc and the other area for the carnivores.

First stop was the Cub World area where sub-adult lions and cubs are housed and where we could enter and actually play with lion cubs. Awww…the cubs were sooooo cute…playfully pulling at our laces and trousers. I just didn’t want to come out of the cage.

Then off to the herbivores area where they roam freely around and we can interact with them at close proximity. The Giraffe was the cutest…eating peanuts from everyone’s hands and seemingly having a very intimate conversation my friend.

The baby Meerkats suckled while the mother stood patiently and majestically. Other sightings were Zebras (first time for me), Ostriches and deer and black wildebeest.

This was followed by the Self-Drive through the Main Park – first through the antelope area where our guide pointed out various species like Gemsbok, Springbok & Blesbokthen and Black Wildebeest, followed by the wild dogs’ enclosure where we saw what tops the list of the 5 ugliest of South Africa.

And then the highlight – we entered the cheetah and lion enclosures. There were 2 Cheetahs and they were like the synchronized swimmers – they were sitting in identical postures, facing in the same direction and when they moved they seemed to move in sync! The Lions and lionesses were very impressive, specially the white lions. But now I know why patience is required when you go on wild life safaris. Initially we couldn’t see the front of the 2 lionesses sitting as we entered the enclosure, so we asked the driver to move to the other side. But as luck would have it, before we all managed our pictures, they decided to turn to the direction where we came from. It was if they were trained to show only their backsides ;-)

And the lions were sleeping away peacefully - lazy bums refused to get up. But we waited patiently and patience pays. Because we finally saw them get up and I even managed a beautiful picture of one of them yawning. Unfortunately, my memory card got spoilt after a few days and I lost all the pictures of the first few days L

As we moved away, one of the lions emerged from the bushes and crossed the track right in front of the vehicle behind ours. Did a personal ramp walk for them – lucky people!

I was having so much fun that I just didn’t want to leave. The thought of Pan African cuisine at one of the top restaurant in Jo’burg pushed us into leaving and off were to the stylish Moyo restaurant at Melrose Arch. It had started to drizzle and sitting on the diwans under a Moroocan tent, with fire bowls close by – very, very exotic! I am told by M to go visit the loo – she doesn’t tell me why, but has this smirk on her face. Not getting into the details, but I have yet to see a more erotic loo!!!

Live music was playing inside so we moved to the bar after some time where some enjoyed the African Amarula (like the Baileys Irish Coffee).

A winding, spiral wooden staircase took us up to our tables. The waitress comes with a big bowl and a water jug and makes us wash our hands. They also paint our faces with intricate tattoos… a lot like what the Bengali brides do. The starter– a moyo flat bread with dukka spice and olive was awesome. Yummy carrot, coconut & cumin soup, chickpea, chilli & feta salad and abampofu salad and my tummy was nearly full. So I just nibbled at the main course of Tanzanian mango chicken, North African lamb tagine and tagine seven vegetables as I wanted to keep some space for the dessert. And thank god for that – the never ending bowl of toasted almond ice cream was sinfully yummy! I thought I’ll have a few bites and leave the rest…but it was just impossible to stop.

Thanks to Sumi and South African Airways we had an awesome time in Jo’burg. I now can definitely say – I enjoy wildlife holidays the MOST!!!

Rain

2012-05-09T09:14:00.001+03:00

Found a little note as I was clearing a drawer - I had written it down during my trip to New Zealand. It was so appropriate that time, as it had rained the whole day. And now also it seems appropriate as I miss the Bangalore rain!

It rained and it rained and it rained and it rained;
the average fall was well maintained,
and when the tracks were simply bogs,
it started raining cats and dogs.

After a drought of half an hour
we had a most refreshing shower,
and then the most curious thing of all:
a gentle rain began to fall.

Next day was also fairly dry,
save for the deluge from the sky,
which wetted the party to the skin,
and after that the rain set in.

Getting a high

2012-04-25T08:44:00.000+03:00

The company that I work for has a Writer’s Club of which I am a member, albeit not a very active one. Recently they introduced PROJECT 46 under which for the 46 Tuesdays starting Valentines' day, writer members who have not written for the Writers' club will write about their passions, hobbies or anything that they want to write about.. no specific subject. The whole idea is to have the different writing styles, the different flavours of ALL the writers captured on our site.

Reproduced below my post for which I have taken tidbits from an earlier post on this blog
****************************************************************************************************

I am a hyper kind of a person.
Someone once said of herself - “My mind is always in constant chatter with itself in which I think about a million things” and I was like – that is so me!!!!
Only Music, especially the flute has a calming effect on me.
It touches my soul like nothing else. From as far back as I can remember the Flute was always my favorite. It inspires me, stirs such emotions and even though this may sound like an oxymoron – it energizes while bringing about a greater peacefulness.

Long back I read somewhere that the Latin word for Breath is ‘spiritus’. And breath is a prerequisite of music. Is that a coincidence, an accident? I doubt it, for music invokes the spiritual in us.

I love music….maybe a result of all the Spic Macay programs I was made to attend in school.
But the answer to the oft asked question – ‘what kind of music do u like to listen to’, I don’t have a clear answer. Anything that sounds nice to me. It could be Indian or Western Classical, Folk from different parts of the world, Instrumental including movie songs, Old romantic Bollywood songs and even some new ones!!!

Forget being an expert, I’m not even an amateur at music. I’m simply a music lover...

I don’t really understand classical music the way the concert goers are expected to…but I still go. One friend asks – But would you really like to go to a Carnatic music concert? I fail to explain to her –‘music has no language for me’.
In fact Music is the only language in which different cultures can have a conversation. Have you heard the Indian Instrument Tabla and Western instrument Harp talk to each other – mind blowing chemistry! Flautist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Harpist Gwyneth Wentink left the audience totally mesmerized with their performance one evening in Bangalore.

Remember, one learns to listen to music as one learns to listen to oneself, not just with one's ears but with one's awareness.

According to Discovery news, listening to music releases dopamine, a feel-good chemical associated with addiction and good food.
And to quote Bob Marley “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
So get a hit, experience a high, and get some music into your life.

South America – preparations etc!!!

2012-04-19T14:49:00.001+03:00

South America called…finally. I think I day dreamed of walking in the Amazon forests as Ms Bhati talked of rainforests in the geography class ages ago. As long back as 2006 I had started talking to travel agencies for quotes and realized I needed to have a separate ‘SA Fund!’ It was ****** expensive…but then that’s me…I always seem to like the most expensive product on the shelf.

The dinner in Devonport, New Zealand comes back. On the 1^st day of our trip as we discussed travelling to South America the following year we nearly got ourselves a companion – the waiter wanted to accompany us after listing to our excited chatter!

Getting the required visas – South Africa, Brazil, Peru, and Argentina was a marathon by itself. A teaser to what was in store for us. Many visas – much confusion! Change of the application city for Bangalore wanderers, form needing refilling in black ink as I had filled it in blue! Some surprises too – one day I get an email that my (MY!!!!) Peru visa was rejected because they wanted original bank statements! Later I realized it was not rejected, but they just declined to accept the form. I thought printouts with signature and bank seal were treated as originals everywhere. What the heck? I was just wondering how to get 4 more copies from ICICI (what a nightmare that was gonna be), when I was informed that the WOW office had resent my passport with another bunch and it worked!!!Talk about weirdness!

Then South African airways decided to change the schedule and wanted us to leave one day earlier. In hindsight this worked better for us – not only did we get a break after an 8 hrs flight instead of traveling continuously for over 20 hrs but were also able to check out Jo’burg with the cost of one night hotel in Jo'burg, airport transfers, breakfast, and visa charges being borne by the airline!!!

The final straw was when on 5^th afternoon I got call – the South African consulate didn’t quite like my photograph (JERKS!). Some white shirt on white background nonsense. They needed spectacles – it was a white PRINTED shirt! Courier new photographs was what I was instructed. 7^th and 8^th were holidays at the mumbai consulate on account of Holi, 9^th night we were travelling – this was NOT going to work. Luckily it struck me that I had a soft copy of another snap, which I sent and requested them to take prints of in Mumbai itself and resubmit the forms. What a restless night that!!! I even contemplated staying in the airport for that one day and night

What a relief when we finally had our passports with all the visas stamped. And off we were to South America via Jo’burg.

Blowin' in the Wind

2012-04-18T12:09:00.000+03:00

A friend and her daughter are making pen stands from old music cassettes – they call it REWIND...RETRO...RECYCLE... It brings back memories of Gurgaon, listening to the cassette over and over again.

My favorite then and still, I guess …Bob Dylan’s Blowin' in the Wind

How many roads must a man walk down

Before you call him a man?

Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail

Before she sleeps in the sand?

Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly

Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows

That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist

Before it's washed to the sea?

Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist

Before they're allowed to be free?

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,

The answer is blowin' in the wind.

my updated wish list

2011-11-30T13:47:00.000+02:00

In 2007 I made a travel wish list and I’ve been lucky…some of the places I managed to visit from that list
- Barcelona
- New Zealand
- Paris, France
- China
now its time to write a new wish list…
- Machu Picchu, Peru (and this could happen next year!!!)
- East Africa – Kenya and Tanzania
- Madhya Pradesh, India
- Bali
- Costa Rica
- Japan
- South Africa
- Sikkim and East India
- Bhutan
- Novi Sad, Serbia
- Sri Lanka
- Israel and Jordan
- Vietnam and Cambodia

Franz Josef & Heli-Hike- NZ March ‘11

2011-11-25T10:10:00.000+02:00

We were quite excited that morning as we left early from Fox Glacier town to go to Franz Josef for our heli-hike – an awesome scenic helicopter flight over the Franz Josef glacier that would then leave us high up for a 2 hrs guided walk amongst the ice caves and pinnacles of ice.

The weather didn’t look too great…there was a drizzle and it was soooo grey. But we hoped that it would clear up soon. When we reached the Heli Hike office at 8:45 we were informed that the trip had been postponed and they would give an update an hour later. We hung around the office but that update kept getting postponed. I watched as the glacier which we could see in the morning, was now covered with dark clouds. Short bursts of rain, then the sun would peek out for a few minutes and then drizzle again. We decided to walk around a bit and I kept everyone entertained with my weather predictions – the clouds seem to have moved an inch and we can now see the glacier from here…now its hidden again!!! What a game of peek-a-boo!!!!

We decided to explore the place a bit to kill time. There seemed to some kind of an exhibition on the formation of glaciers with very nicely made paintings – and one depicting Maori Legend on the formation of the Franz Josef glacier really caught my eye.

Hine Hukatere, as adventurous Maori maiden who loved mountaineering above all her other pastimes, frequently persuaded her lover, Wawe, to accompany her on escapades into the hills. On one such expedition the unfortunate Wawe, who had never been found of climbing as his sweetheart, slipped and plunged to an early death. Heartbroken, Hine Hukatere cried - her tears were frozen by the gods as a memorial to her grief, thus forming Franz Josef Glacier or Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere (The tears of Hinehukatere)

A forest walk marked a little ahead seemed like a good idea as by now we were worried that the hike may get cancelled. Walking in the forests in a light drizzle with the sounds of birds made us forget our woes for some time at least. I am sure I heard a Kiwi, though Stephen was not quite convinced since Kiwis are nocturnal… maybe the dark clouds and grey weather had confused him!!!

Returning from the walk we stopped at a cute church, outside which I read some more Maori Mythology - according to which four sons of Raki (the Sky Father) came down to greet their father’s new wife Papa-tua-nuku (The Earth Mother) in a canoe known as Te Waka o Aoraki. The karakia (incantation), which have returned them to their celestial home failed and the waka (canoe) fell back into the sea. It turned on its side and was turned to stone and earth, thus forming the South Island! Aoraki and his brothers clambered to the high side of the waka and were turned into mountains. Aoraki became Mt Aoraki/ Mt Cook, Rakiroa became Mt Dampier, Rakirua became Mt Teichelmann and Rarakiroa became Mt Tasman.

Lunch at a small café which had some amazing 3D paintings and still more amazing burgers!!

We were now informed that the heli-hike had been cancelled but since they were doing the glacier walks we could change to that. After considering all the options, we called our agent. Our itinerary had been changed a bit due to the Christchurch earthquake so that we would be spending 2 nights in Greymouth rather than Christchurch. We asked her to change that to one night and gave us another in Franz Josef so that we could give the heli-hike another go the next day. Lo behold, she agreed and organized everything, even though it was such a short notice!!!

Stephen then suggested that we do the Franz Josef glacier valley walk to spend the rest of the day. The spectacular glacier valley walk is a 1 1/2hr return walk up the glacier valley and follows the riverbed made up of rock and shingle with great views of the glacier. The valley was formed by the glacier thousands of years ago and as it has retreated, features have been carved into the valley.

As soon we enter the valley we see some lovely waterfalls and the glacier can be seen immediately. The funny thing was that it never seemed to get closer as we walked down until we realized we were right up on it….just 100m away from the terminal face where you can see the ice cave and the river run through it. It was well spent time.

Yippeeee….next day is clear and we take off for our heli hike. We are taken to base camp and provided with the gear - rain jacket, waterproof over-trousers, woolen socks, caps , gloves, sturdy boots and crampons (with small waist bag). The views from the helicopter ride are mind boggling as the pilot takes us deep into the heart of the glacier and does the twists and turns! We land and start our hike. Our guide is a kid…all of 21 yrs. The glacier scenery can’t get more pristine and awe-inspiring. We see spectacular ice formations and make our way amongst towering pinnacles of brilliantly blue ice. We hear thunderous rumbling… that was the ice falling. We want more that we can see and not just hear. And we are blessed…coz we see several. It’s an experience I can’t describe in words. But the fact that Anita, who never really asks anyone to share snaps, for the 1st time asked me for my videos of the glacier ice falling.

It was well worth the wait and a fantabulous way to end our trip to New Zealand.

Scenic Drive to Fox Glacier – NZ Feb 2011

2011-11-08T11:58:00.000+02:00

We leave Queenstown for Fox Glacier and this is the journey that I had mentioned in an earlier post, where we saw such diversity, with the landscape changing ever so often –rainforest, wetlands, lakes, glacier-fed rivers & white water rapids.

We had a brief stopover in Arrowtown, a quaint little town, to explore the streets and lanes. On the banks of the Arrow River, it has a very arty ambience with its shops, restaurants, cafes, offices and galleries located within a tight precinct. At the outskirts of this town we stopped at a very famous fruit shop – Mrs Jones Fruits where we bought the local produce - Manuka honey, honey comb and fruits.

The scenic landscape first treated us to 2 famous lakes– Lake Hawea with the background of mountain peaks and the adjacent Lake Wanaka, which is one of the largest lakes in New Zealand.

Soon after that we stop for a walk through New Zealand Silver Beech forest and a bridge over the Makarora River to reach the Blue Pools. The views back to the mountains of the Main Divide are absolutely breath-taking.

The glacier-fed water from the Blue River and the Makarora River in these deep pools is a deep azure blue, and so clear that you can see right to the bottom. We were told to look out for the resident brown trout in the river and the pools. Reminded me of Stephen’s story that the way to catch trout is just tickle them under the gut and they will come flying out. It was a good time for a demo, but luckily for Stephen, there didn’t seem to be any trout around that day!!! The color was blue but not thaaaaat blue also!

Noticed piles of stones much like the ones I saw all over the place in Norway. We spent some time there building small piles of stones and adding to existing ones. They are actually known as Cairns and were navigation points earlier, but now people build them just for fun – as someone said Local Graffiti – more like ‘I was here’ left by tourists.

On our way up to Haast Pass, we pass over ‘Hell’s Gate’ which is a vital bridge linking the West Coast to the Otago. No vehicle is allowed to stop on the bridge, so we got off at one end and walked across it so that we could enjoy the sheer drops of the Haast River to the amazing blue mountain pools.
A little ahead a short walk through a lovely forest gives views of the spectacular 28 metres high Thunder Creek Waterfall which drop from the level of the glacier ice. This is Mt Aspiring National Park, where the Haast Highway crosses the mountains to reach the west coast and the Tasman Sea. Vast emptiness - 1700km to the west, you hit Tasmania, Australia, and to the southwest, nothingness till Antarctica, more than 4500km away!!! Lush vegetation faces the sea, but due to the salty air the trees have a stunted growth making it look like a Bonsai Garden.

We stop at beautiful and desolate place called Ship Creek where the river flows serenely on one side and waves off the Tasman Sea crash against the coastline on the other. The beach is secluded and sandy but plants grow freely around the driftwood which has washed onto the beach. The large pieces of drift wood sticking out of the sand look very beautiful that I feel like carrying one home with me!!! Don’t know who exactly thought that we should “Walk like Penguins”, but there we were…waddling away!

End of a scenic day as we reached Fox Glacier. But there was another eventful day ahead for we were booked for a Helicopter ride and Glacier Hike.

Shot Over Jet and Skydiving in Queens Town – NZ Feb 2011

2011-10-22T15:14:00.000+03:00

From the Maori adventurers looking for Pounamu (greenstone, the green gold) in the 1100’s to the gold miner and high country sheep farmers in 1860’s; on the edge lifestyles have always been the norm in Queenstown. The culture of adventure still rules and now being home to skydivers, mountaineers, free skiers and others who dwell on the edge – no wonder the town is known as “Adventure Capital of the World”.

Stephen had asked us to find out the shape of the Lake Wakatipu and so as we had reached our hotel the previous night I had done some research on the net. And read a very interesting Maori Legend which states that the giant Matau was burnt to death in his sleep after he abducted a chief's daughter, burning a massive hole in the ground and melting the ice and snow of the surrounding mountains, forming the lake. The lake is a large "S" shape, like a giant, curled up and sleeping on its side. Matau's head rested at Glenorchy, at the north of the lake, and his feet south in Kingston. Queenstown sits on Matau's knee. One of Wakatipu's mysteries is the rise and fall of the lake by about 12cm (5") every five minutes. Legend states that a Giant's heart is impossible to destroy, and causes this rise and fall, while science says it is due to fluctuating atmospheric pressures. We were going to enjoy views of this lake from several heights and in my case even from 9,000 feet above!!!

It started at an easy pace with a half day city tour on a lovely sunny morning. We enjoyed beautiful views of the Lake Wakatipu, saw a London Bus doing the tourist rounds here and then went for a gondola ride - reputed to be the steepest lift in the Southern Hemisphere to the Skyline complex located on Bob's Peak for still more spectacular views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu.

Queenstown is the birthplace of bungee jumping and we visited the place where it all started and watched people as they were flung off the bridge. I commented –“These people are crazy. How can they jump off like that?” I turned around to see my friends with THE LOOK. Dipti commented – and what you plan to do later in the day, thatz not crazy???

Our adventure started when we decided to go for an exhilarating ShotOver Jet Ride - a unique, breathtaking white water ride through dramatic and narrow Canyons. The boats speed in mere centimeters of water (as little as 10 cms) in the famous Shotover River and move deep into the spectacular Shotover River Canyons where the jet boat drivers aim their high-speed boats at rock walls and then veer away at the last second with just centimeters to spare. They skillfully whip past rocky outcrops, skims around crags and boulders and steer their boats into sharp 360-degree turns, throwing up plumes of water that drench us. What an unforgettable adrenaline rush!!!

A walk in the beautiful Queenstown gardens to calm us down was needed. The rest decided to have lunch and go back to the hotel as they had other plans for the evening. But me? I decided to skip lunch. I was too scared that I will throw up during my SKYDIVE slated for a little later.

After exploring the gardens for some more time I went to the skydive place. I was NERVOUS. But a very nice couple who were also going reassured me.

I was going to jump out of a perfectly good aeroplane – don’t ask me why, from 9,000ft for 25 secs of free fall at a terminal velocity of 200kph. Then a 15 mins parachute ride land back.

We reached the drop zone and our jump masters were assigned to us. As I waited, I saw each one getting instructions from his/her jump master but mine was nowhere to be seen. I asked around and I was told ‘Ahhh don’t worry, sometimes he decides to take a nap!!!” What??? He should be giving me instructions!!!! I anyways listened to someone else getting their instructions. Then my jump master comes along and casually hands me a cap and gloves and asks me to get into the suit. As I tell him, let me try the cap on, he smiles and says. Don’t worry, you just trust me!

And gives me exactly 5 mins to get ready and takes me to the plane. We are the last to get on, coz it seems we will be the 1^st to jump off…heavens noooooooooooo!!!!!

As we reached the desired height of 9000ft, he opens the shutter and asks me to dangle my feet over the side. I shudder, he gauges I am nervous. Tells me…don’t worry, take ur time and as I decide to relax and look around he nudges me over and before I know it I am off the plane, into the air. But no fear now. There is just too much beauty around to enjoy that there is no time to worry about anything else. I am so engrossed that I forget to pose for the camera man! Adam nudges my face and asks me to look at the camera for a few shots.

Even after we landed I was on a high. My lunch was still in my bag. I couldn’t even think about eating anything. I didn’t know how I would feel after the dive so I had opted out for the dinner plans that the rest were going to. When they were doing their bookings, they told the lady that our friend who has gone for sky diving may join. It seems she told them – she will be so high on adrenalin that I doubt she will be able to eat anything!!! How right she was.

Decided to just sit around in the park, next to the lake and let it all sink in. After nearly 2 hrs, took a bus and went back to the hotel. But the excitement that day had been much – I couldn’t even sleep!!!

What do I feel now - if given a chance I would do it again!!!! It was simply wonderful.

Milford Sound New Zealand Feb 2011

2011-10-01T12:39:00.000+03:00

“The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time” - David Henry Thoreau”

The drive from Te Anau to Milford Sound is regarded as one of the most scenic roads in New Zealand and is an experience worth living. The benefit of a driving holiday with a very knowledgeable guide cum driver is that he made these frequent stops for us to enjoy the beauty.

We travelled along the edge of Lake Wakatipu, through Kingston and Mossburn to enter Fiordland National Park. With the Eglinton River besides us we reached Eglinton Valley, once filled with glacier ice. We made our first stop here – the open green field against the backdrop of huge mountains that tower along the valley sides, some two thousand feet above the valley floor looked very surreal!!! The majesty of the mountain scenery and valley definitely called for some dancing and singing ‘The Sound of Music’. As we entered our van we found a bee inside. True to NZ tradition where they don’t interfere with nature, Stephen gently caught it in his kerchief and let it free.

Soon after that we stopped at a small stream, which had the sweetest water I have ever tasted. We filled our bottles with the chilled sweet water before taking off again to changing landscapes and thick forests – the location of several scenes from the Lord of Rings series.

Other highlights of the drive included a stop at the Mirror Lakes. Luckily for us it was a nice still day so that we could see a perfect reflection of the Earl Mountains. And it was time for more of Stephen’s stories – a small Korean boy while peering into the lakes lost his glasses and Stephen retrieved them for him, for which he was treated to Tequila! He insisted he had only Tequila unlike the Koreans who have blood and whiskey!!! Later I googled and found that there is a drink called ‘Blood and Whiskey Sour’ made with blood red oranges and whiskey!

The next part of the road is called the “Avenue of the Disappearing Mountain” so called because an optical illusion causes the approaching mountain to get smaller rather than larger. Next stop was for a short walk at Cascade creek to view the creeks of splashing water.

As we reached Lake Gunn, it was time to stretch our legs - Stephen sent us off one a nature walk, an easy 45 minute loop track through thick forests where we managed to see some birds including the wood pigeon.

At The Divide, which is the lowest of the passes in the Southern Alps the road goes gradually downhill and after a short distance we stop at viewing platform with impressive views of snow topped mountains. Some of us catch a fleeting glimpse of the Kea, a bird found in this region flying around.

At the Homer Tunnel, a man-made tunnel cut out of the rock wall, we wait for our turn – the tunnel is only one way. And then the highlight – a Kea bird decides to do the ramp walk for us!

The last stop of the day, before we reach Milford Sound for our cruise is at the Chasm. A 20 minute walk leads us to the spectacular waterfall where the Cleddau River has scoured its way through solid rock.

The Southern Discoveries Milford Sound Scenic Cruise takes us through the majestic fiords and we see the Mitre Peak, one of the highest mountains in the world to rise directly from the ocean floor. Seals laze on the rocks and we relax on the cruise. Magnificent waterfalls can be seen on both sides. The captain of the ship takes us under one of them and insists that if we go under it we will emerge looking 10 years younger – guess that is the secret of my young looking friends!!!

After the cruise we travel to Queenstown and on the way we see this fence strapped with shoes. Nice way to dispose of old shoes, I say. If Stephen is to be believed there was a similar Bra Fence in Queenstown!!!

As we approach Queenstown the “Adventure Capital of the World”, my heart starts thumping. Because it is here that I have decided to do Sky Diving – but more on that tomorrow!