The moon on my wings... a personalised travel blog

Eknath Easwaran: The teacher of timeless wisdom

2014-02-27T23:15:00.001-08:00

I have a habit of fidgeting with every book in sight, wherever I am. So when I saw this book, " Meditation", by Eknath Easwaran, who, was most beautifully described as 'The Teacher of Timeless Wisdom', on a friend's table, I had to pick it up. Little did I know then, that my life would thereafter be 'before Easwaran and after Easwaran'! The book, simply called 'Meditation' then, and 'Passage Meditation' now, was a book that fell into my hands after years of reading all sorts of books - spiritual and otherwise, and I just knew instantly that it was different.

Easwaran's wisdom is timeless, no doubt. But it is his gentle way of conveying his message that draws you.. He shows warmth, kindness and empathy, and has a deep understanding of human needs. His teachings are simple, he communicates subtly,. So subtly that you won't hear or see the signs if you're just too wrapped up in your day-to-day life. But the message is hugely powerful, with the ability to transform lives.

We are all in search of that 'something more' that will complete us, that will help us grow, ..
We also know that it is not only intellect that counts: we may know how to solve problems, know how to get by, know how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without kindness, love, friendship, compassion, and empathy.
And while we may live in this world and draw from it, we know that animals and plants and birds do the same, but as a race that can think, feel, love, change and perform, does a part of us not want to look beyond what we live and see on the surface? And then, do we not all want to remain calm and unruffled under all circumstances? Has Gandhi not told us, “Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.” And it's really not about taking flight..or about running away from things, or by turning solitary and going apart from the world. Rather, we want to learn an inner solitude wherever or with whomsoever we may be, or with whatever may happen.

In Easwaran's Blue mountain centre of meditation , in the retreat house, on Dillon beach, and at the Ramagiri ashram, I had the privilege of being in the company of teachers who he trained and who had worked with Easwaran. Satish and Diana guided us so gently and beautifully, and in true 'Easwaran style', so subtly! Over dinner, I felt blessed to bond with Sultana Harvey, who has been with Easwaran for a few decades. I also had the opportunity to spend some Time with Sumner, who helped clean and cook, who, incidentally has known Easwaran for almost 50 years, and of course, the highlight was our meeting with Christine. I felt Easwaran's presence, in every moment. It was one of those experiences when I felt an awesome awareness come over me.. At times, it came as deep inner stillness , at other times, as a rush of overflowing emotion. Sometimes, it seemed to come from beyond me, from somewhere far, far away, and sometimes from right within. The tears that streamed down when Christine held my hand, and the intense heat that surged through my body during that moment, are still so utterly incomprehensible. In 'Shanti', the meditation hall, where Easwaran meditated everyday, I felt the presence of his grandmother, whom he loved deeply and spoke and wrote about everywhere. But now, when we're back in the midst of our everyday lives, in the thick of our circumstances, there is a constant reminder. When Easwaran's beloved Gandhi was asked what his message was, he put it simply, " My life is my message", and Easwaran's life was his message too. And we who want to learn from his teachings, know that the essence lies in living them. .. Living his 8 eight points, starting the day with passage meditation, using the mantram through the day, through the highs and lows, living slowly and in awareness, putting others before us , practising one pointedness in everything we do, building spiritual relationships, reading some spiritual literature everyday, and living gentle, simple, inspiring lives. ( These are basically the points around which his teachings revolve)

Our group with Satish Kappagantula, Diana Lightman and Christine Easwaran.

Those of us who were of Indian origin from our group with Satish Kappagantula and Christine Easwaran.

A short note on Eknath Easwaran: ( taken excerpts from writings on Easwaran))

Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999) is respected around the world as one of the twentieth century's great spiritual teachers and an authentic guide to timeless wisdom. Although he did not travel or seek large audiences, his books on meditation, spiritual living, and the classics of world mysticism have been translated into twenty-six languages. More than 1.5 million copies of Easwaran's books are in print.A gifted teacher who lived for many years in the West, Easwaran lived what he taught, giving him enduring appeal as a teacher and author of deep insight, warmth and great compassion.

Eknath Easwaran was born into an ancient matrilineal family in Kerala state, South India. There he grew up under the close guidance of his mother's mother, Eknath Chippu Kunchi Ammal, whom he honored throughout his life as his spiritual teacher.

Easwaran often recalled with pride that he grew up in "Gandhi's India" - the historic years when Mahatma Gandhi was leading the Indian people to freedom from British rule through nonviolence. As a young man, Easwaran met Gandhi and the experience of sitting near him at his evening prayer meetings left a lasting impression. The lesson he learned from Gandhi was the power of the individual: the immense resources that emerge into life when a seemingly ordinary person transforms himself completely.

After graduate work at the University of Nagpur in Central India, where he took first-class degrees in English literature and in law, Easwaran went on to become a full time professor in English literature there.

But At this juncture, he would recall, "All my success turned to ashes." The death of his grandmother in the same year as Gandhi's assassination and his beloved dog being crushed to death by a truck, prompted him to turn inward.

Following Gandhi's inspiration, he became deeply absorbed in the Bhagavad Gita, India's best-known scripture. Meditation on passages from the Gita and other world scriptures quickly developed into the method of meditation that today is only associated with his name.

He then came to the United States on the Fulbright exchange program in 1959. Soon he was giving talks on India's spiritual tradition throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The mission of the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, founded by him in 1961, is the same today as when it was founded: to teach the eight-point program of passage meditation aimed at helping ordinary people conquer physical and emotional problems, release creativity, and pursue life's highest goal, Self-realization.
He lived in the San Francisco Bay Area the rest of his life, dedicating himself to the responsive American audiences that began flowing into his classes in the turbulent Berkeley of the late 1960s, when meditation was suddenly "in the air." His quiet yet impassioned voice reached many thousands of students in those turbulent years."as meditation deepens, ", he explained, "compulsions, craving, fits of emotion begin to lose their power to dictate our behaviour. We see clearly that choices are available, and we can tell our minds what to do. When your mind acts at your command, then you have mastered the art of living. You are no longer dependent on circumstances, you can decide how you want to respond, whatever happens." He passionately taught passage meditation and his 8 point program, as a complete program, to live a good, spiritual life. He often quoted the Buddha, "There is nothing so disciplined, as an obedient mind, and there is nothing so indisciplined as a disobedient mind.,"

In thousands of talks and his many books Easwaran taught passage meditation and his eight-point program to an audience that now extends around the world. Rather than travel and attract large crowds, he chose to remain in one place and teach in small groups - a preference that was his hallmark as a teacher even in India. "I am still an educator," he liked to say. "But formerly it was education for degrees; now it is education for living." His work is being carried forward by Christine Easwaran, who has worked by his side for more than forty years, by the students he trained for thirty years, and by the organization he founded to ensure the continuity of his teachings, the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation.
A gifted writer, who lived what he taught, like Gandhi, like the Buddha, like all great spiritual teachers, Easwaran had no use for beliefs, unless they generated action. "Doing", he would stress over and again, " doing, not merely saying is what counts. Everyone can do it, it's in our nature. By virtue of being human, we all have the capacity to choose, to change, to grow. It will take time, and sustained effort to fashion such a disciplined life,but what we discover about ourselves after that effort, cannot be put into words. , but thereafter, we are never again the same."

The spirit of Ootacamund: A personal story

2013-11-18T05:40:00.001-08:00

THE SPIRIT OF OOTACAMUND: A personal story

Driving up the Western ghats, on the slowly winding road up to Ooty from Mettupalayam was always traumatic. I could call it ‘the road of pain’. – The road that I travelled on through many ‘not so happy’ moments in my childhood, -the road, when, as a tender 4 year old, I took to go study in a boarding school, far, far away from home,- the same road which my grandfather drove up on, up all the way from Chettinad to spend a day with me. He would drive an old ambassador car, with the boot full of goodies and my grandmother by his side and pick me up from my boarding school, and together, we would go off to the Ooty Botanical Garden, where, for most part of the day, he made me eat,. We didn’t talk too much, but he spent the whole day, just being so very kind. And then, it was the same road that I travelled down on when I was told that he passed away… suddenly one morning.. without kissing me good bye..- And the same road I came back up to school on, feeling alone and lost, after two days of grieving for him.- hardly enough.. A lifetime is not enough to grieve ..

So for me, the 24 hair pin bend road that leads up to Ooty is a difficult journey. – Something I always want to forget, but never can. In fact, I remember my days in boarding school more vividly than I remember yesterday!.. When 33 years ago, as a miniscule 4 year old, I remember holding on to Miss Kutina’s hand and running in without looking back. Term after term, after every vacation, I would hold on to Miss Kutina’s hand and walk in, bravely waving good bye to my parents. I don’t know why, but I never cried. Miss Kutina was quite the disciplinarian. She seemed indestructible and stronger than a man! Children shivered like butterflies when they heard her booming voice, clear and stern- and loud chatter turned into hushed whispers when he walked in- tall and upright, with a long, slick pony tail and bright red lipstick, in a short skirt and stockings and tall stilettos. Always moving like the wind, she made sure every child had her hair oiled and combed, nails cut and shoes polished. She taught a hundred little children, at the same time, how to spread a napkin on the lap, how to hold a fork and eat a bland meal without fuss.. And she worked tirelessly , attending to dozens of sick children when chicken pox and viral fever ravaged through the school!

I was, for most part, rather lonely, but I remember entertaining myself by hiding behind Miss Kutina’s partially opened bedroom door, near the parlour and gaping at her in horror, as she broke open an egg and gulped it down, raw! I think I went there many more times after the first time, to make sure she was really swallowing it all raw! At other times, I would stare helplessly at home sick children bawling loudly, most of which went unheard. And in the classroom I was always waiting for something unrealistic and impractical, but wonderful to happen.. Like staring out of the window, while the teacher taught math, and wishing and wishing that I would see somebody I loved from home, walking through those cabbage fields and towards me. Nobody came, of course, but I soon made other friends.. friends who didn’t know I existed, and just worked away, tugging hard at the cabbages and potatoes in the fields. – The Toda women fascinated me. .Simply because they were different from everybody else I saw around me.. They sang songs or hummed loudly as they worked, and wore their hair in several twirled plaits and draped themselves in their hand made shawls with pride. They seemed so content and happy and more than once I wished I could go back home with them. Once the Toda women left the fields, the ‘aayahs’ who looked after us in the dormitories , crept up to the fields, stole some cabbages and hid them in the hedges to take home with them when they left at night. I imagined them cooking cabbage for dinner and feeding their children. .It was a heart warming thought.

And years later, with the memories of the Todas fresh in my heart, I impulsively decided to travel up the 24 hair pin bends again. The plan was to visit the Todas in their villages, but on the drive up hill, I found myself reliving memories of my years in boarding school. I saw a man selling plums on the roadside and remembered when all those years ago, I would eat plums on my way uphill and throw the pits out, and search for plum trees on my next trip up! I also remembered some seemingly insignificant things like smelling the moss after a spell of rain and staring at the sunset and thinking about God, - an old man in the sky, with a long, white beard, just looking down calmly on whatever was happening on earth; I also remembered the stillness of the hills and the quietness of the earth. And then I remembered, with heart rending clarity the parts I couldn’t love. They were still a worthless burden to own ..

When I stepped out into a Toda village the next morning, in the crisp, pale sunshine, I felt a wave like rush of joy. Little else brings one to an instant, meditative state like the vastness of windswept grasslands, where sparseness rules. Norkay, my friend for the day and a Toda himself, talks about his religion among other things. I learn that although every Toda village does have a temple, there is no ‘God’ or idol inside the temple. There is only a lamp that is lit by a priest. What the Todas do worship, however, is nature. They gather together to worship the trees and the hills and the rivers nd the ‘forces’ of nature. So strange.. and so beautiful – in a world full of Gods and godmen and powers and presences ..And why not? ..Does not nature soothe, and heal and calm? Amidst nature, can we not get back in touch with our inner selves? Don’t we all look to nature for renewal and inspiration? The Todas do all they can to protect nature and treat the forests with the highest care and respect. All around me, I hear the wind.- the mighty wind that plays through your hair, caresses your soul and reminds that you are alive;.. and in the wind, I hear murmuring of life – little boys, running around, bare feet, muddy, smelling of dirt.. free and unheeding .. without a care in the world. Women of all ages, grandmother to aunt to cousin, all existing harmoniously under one roof. While the younger women speak in hushed whispers as they sew away, working on traditional shawls and bags, the middle aged women busy themselves by smiling at us and making us some sugary tea made with buffalo milk. They also bring in a very old woman, with a thousand beautiful lines on her face, her hair in numerous twirled plaits, wearing a beautiful Toda shawl! I find myself thinking about how complicated our own lives are, and how we have no simple roads or paths.. when the essence of life is in the everyday.. and in the simple joys. One little girl who hadn’t gone to school that day, smiles shyly, as she sits in bed, looking so content with a book in hand. Perhaps we all turn to books to help us get through life.. and sometimes to escape it!.. Looking at her, brings back memories of my childhood obsession with Enid Blyton . Enid Blyton was my all time favourite author, and was a great source of comfort , an escape from all things sad and mundane, ..to put it in a line, she lit up my entire childhood. I spent many evenings in boarding school, reading many books written by her and pouring over a nice, fat book on her life, complete with pictures of her family and her house, 'Old Thatch'..in England. It was a obsession that never left me, .. And then, my memory wandered away to England, when one fine, sunny morning, on the insistence of a dear friend, I found myself standing in the garden of the 'Old Thatch'. Life sometimes comes full circle in odd and delightful ways..That day my childhood had caught up with me.. not in a loud, 'big bang' sort of a way, but with a silent ring, deep within.. I remember reading somewhere, that when we travel, we think we're chasing new experiences, when we're actually chasing our memories... how true!

It was all grey and drizzly, the next morning, as I sat staring at the sun struggling to rise and thinking of God – I saw the same old man in the sky, with a long, white beard ,looking down on creation, now looking older and kinder.., I felt the stillness of the hills and the quietness of the earth., and I suddenly knew I wanted to go back to my boarding school again.

That evening, I sat by the window, listening to the wind hitting against the glass and made no attempt to silence the brain’s ramblings. It had been a rather exhausting day. I had uncovered feelings that I didn’t know existed in me..- feelings of understanding, accepting and healing.. As I had walked down the corridors and through the dormitories of my boarding school, I first thought of how old and how worn everything looked.. In a way, reminding me of my own age and about the fleeting nature of everything. The place was empty, as the children were on vacation., and yet, I had heard squeaky voices and the patter of a hundred pairs of little feet. The memories had come flocking back: writing letters home to my mother every Friday, unfailingly stating, ‘I am fine here’, in every one of them, picking wild berries and eating them, in spite of being told that they might be poisonous, sitting on the window sill, longingly looking out for Santa Clause.. When I passed by the parlour, I remembered clearly a particular incident when my group of friends and I wanted ‘rosy’ cheeks, so we had plucked some rose petals from the garden and rubbed our cheeks with them till they were red and sore.-- Much to Miss Kutina’s horror! The doctor and she had made us sit in a row in the parlour and examined us, threatening us of dire consequences if we did not tell them how we got our ‘rosy’ cheeks. I think, they had finally concluded that there was no strange disease spreading through the school, and it was only a case of 4 stupid children rubbing their faces too hard with a towel! The other memory that had come back vividly that day was our Saturday morning walks to the woods nearby. There was a log cabin in the heart of the woods, and everybody told a story of how, many years ago, it was built to house a princess from a royal family, who had leprosy. She stayed there alone, locked up and a plate of food was pushed in to her at meal times. After every walk into those woods, I would lie in bed at night, wide awake, thinking of that young girl .. and her pain. Whether it was true or not, the story never left me.

Back in my dormitory, as I had looked into the cabbage fields that no longer existed, I had heard the Todas singing away without a care in the world and had thought, ‘perhaps, this is what it means to be happy’.. I had also seen my grandfather, getting out of a white ambassador car, his loving eyes, hurriedly searching for me in a crowd of little children.. I had felt waves of pain wash over me.. And then.. I had seen Miss Kutina! .. In flesh and blood .. the red lipstick still intact, a loose salwar kameez, replacing the short skirt, and comfortable slippers replacing the stilettos. – A more mellow woman now.. who, like the God of my childhood, looked older, but so much kinder!.. 33 years had passed ..and we had embraced, remembering only the care with which she had looked after me, along with a hundred other children, doing it to the best of her ability.

I thought about our natural ability to carry the past with us, in our minds and bodies.. But I felt strangely calm and happy that day.. in the thought that, in understanding and accepting our lives and circumstances, in letting go of what does not benefit us, in coming to peace with our past, we find our freedom. I no longer hold any anger or bitterness about having had to deal with my emotions and my tears and joys alone as a little child.. The emotions that we have coursed through as we grasped life have equipped us with the tools we need to complete the journey. And then, I think about my genes, my education, my past, the people in my life .. and I know that more than everything else, it’s the journey itself that matters.. that although life must be sensual and experiential, it need not be perfect to be wonderful.. .. that in spite of the thousands of people who may be in our lives today, we are directly.. and specifically, our own. ..And that, the journey within oneself, is perhaps, the only real journey.

In a windy Toda village

Notice Board outside the school parlour

With an Enid Blyton book

And with Miss Kutina!

In the honey stoned country side: The slow beauty of England

2012-12-25T21:50:00.005-08:00

To start : Please excuse my long absence from the blog..Life gets in the way!.. Although I have been writing and travelling, the desire to create a post for the blog disappeared briefly!
Through this post, we're going to be travelling through an area of outstanding natural beauty : The English countryside. When you drive out of London, and into the rolling hills of Gloucestershire, you are amidst rust coloured pathways, tall, kind trees, and yellow towns..the towns and villages in The Cotswolds are undoubtedly beautiful and quintessentially English. Glorious honey coloured cottages, beautiful old mansions, thatched houses, atmospheric churches, and rickety pubs and restaurants- the region just oozes old world English charm. There are many villages, such as Chipping Campden, Cheltenham, Stratford upon Avon, (THINK SHAKESPEARE), Wichecombe, Birbury (Arlington Row, featured in many Cotswold postcards, and described by William Morris as the 'most beautiful village in The Cotswolds'), but I particularly loved Burton On The Water. Built around the river Windrush, Burton On The Water is a HAPPY little village (cannot think of a better word to describe it), built with honey coloured local limestone, cute little footbridges, where life seems to revolve around the river (even if life means sitting on the river banks and soaking your feet in water all day :-)). I also loved the Cotswold Lavender farm in Snowshill. There are fields of purple in every conceivable shade, as far as the eye can see and an old stone barn converted into a restaurant, serving delightful lunches. You are allowed to walk through the lavender fields but your camera can't really do it justice!
I don't know why, but reading the weather forecast in England, always makes me smile. ..perhaps it's the flowery descriptions of the weather..like..'Temperatures will quickly fall as cloud melts away, leaving a clear chilly night with high winds..;?.. almost poetic! But this is summer!.. and as I stand beneath a sky full of colours in 'The Orchard', Grantchester, a short walk from the university town of Cambridge, I'm wondering if I'm in heaven! When someone says, 'Go slow', I'm not sure what to make of it..I'm quite a fan of speed and not very good at being idle. But the slow beauty of 'The Orchard' creeps right into you..I'm enjoying the buttercup yellow sunshine, the scent of the grass, and the apples and peaches ..Sometimes you just want to hold on to these summer afternoons and gloriously late sunsets..;) And one more thing..if you've ever lusted after cream tea and scones piled with clotted cream and strawberry jam, there's no better place to fulfil your fantasies! There was a time when I couldn't understand what the fuss was about afternoon tea, but I can barely remember that now..!
On yet another day, we stumbled upon a pub in Beaconsfield, called The Royal Standard of England, quite by default, and were told that it was England's oldest pub! - 900 Years old!! The building simply oozes history.. worn out floors and celings, deeply coloured window panes, stained glass, and a pretty rose garden outside..There are no high heeled women with set hair and plastic smiles, no queues of limousines ..In fact , precious little sign of life at all..Once you're inside, you cannot ask for a better sense of atmosphere!
As a child, I was in boarding school and lonely for most part. Reading was a HUGE part of my life and I read and re-read hundreds of books of my all time favourite author, Enid Blyton. She was a great source of comfort , an escape from all things sad and mundane, ..to put it in a line, ..she lit up my entire childhood. I spent many evenings in the school library, pouring over a nice, fat book on Enid Blyton, complete with pictures of her life and her family and her house, 'Old Thatch'.. And one fine, sunny day, I was standing in the garden of the 'Old Thatch'. Life sometimes comes full circle in odd and delightful ways..That day my childhood caught up with me.. not in a loud, 'big bang' sort of a way, but with a silent ring, deep within.. It was one of those moments when everything seems so right and in place, when for a heartbeat, you have this overwhelming feeling of peace, and you think, 'This is reality.. this moment..this sense of purpose, of lightness, of hope.. There could be a song to sing, or a prayer to recite, but sometimes, there are none, because perhaps, there are no words strong enough to name the moment.. I remember reading somewhere, that when we travel, we think we're chasing new experiences, when we're actually chasing our memories... how true!
As a lifelong lover of travel and writing, I have been so lucky, so tremendously lucky to share moments like this around the world.Through walks, through lunches and dinners, through my writing and photographs, I have, in a sense been able to follow my dream..I always try to find something beautiful, something that moves and inspires me wherever I go, but ultimately come away with my favourite realization-:- HOW impotent we all are in the giant scheme of things.. HOW utterly insignificant!
Happiness really, is in these little things..a stunning scenery, an interesting book, a heart warming conversation, an awesome meal, a long walk, and listening to some soul stirring music. And if you can enjoy these little things, you are truly blessed! The world is made up of all sorts of people..Some people bring out the worst in us, others bring out the best, and then there are those remarkable, wonderful people who just bring out the most, .. and then, your life is never the same again...
I f you have actually read all the way to the end, I must say, Thank you!:) Now, I'm going to let you sit back and enjoy some pictures, and think of the following words, 'Love', Peace', 'Joy', 'Laughter'..

The Orchard

Cambridge

Punting in Cambridge

Oxford

Stratford Upon Avon

Inside Shakespeare's house

The castle in Warwick

Birbury's Arlington Row, The Cotswolds

Cotswolds lavender farm, Snowshill

Burton On The Water

The old pub

The Enid Blyton room in the Red Lion pub, Knotty Green

Treacle pudding in Enid Blyton country!

Where Enid Blyton lived..

In the garden..

The house

Tea in the Old Thatch garden

My Grandfather's house and a little more of Sri Lanka

2012-03-29T02:11:00.086-07:00

It all started with this... My Grandfather's diary..- something I found many years back, in his house in Chettinad. It was then that my love affair with Sri Lanka began..As a child, my grandfather gave me unconditional love, kindness, comfort, and not to forget..innumerable bars of 'five star'(the chocolate), first thing in the morning, even before I had brushed my teeth. 25 years have passed since his death and not a day has passed when I haven't thought about him. Born the oldest son in a family of 9, and having lost his father at the age of 19, my grandfather's life was one that was burdened with responsibilities, ranging from working to keep the family afloat, to travelling between the plantations in Srilanka and the duties of home, back in Chettinad, to getting his sisters married, to being emotionally strong and supportive to his young, widowed mother...all of which he did with great willingness and maturity.

The Passport

I have read and re read the diary many times, and so, for me, travelling to Srilanka was like discovering new secrets about an old love...And so, after 2 months of researching around names and places mentioned in the diary, we went to The Mahakande estate, to the kal Bungalawa, or 'stone house', from where, most of this diary was written in 1947. The kal bungalawa, set then, in the midst of a 600 acre tea plantation, and nestled in the Huntane mountains was owned breifly by my grandfather, along with a couple of partners, after which he moved on to another estate in Nawalapitiya, (which we simply could not locate) where he lived on, till he left Ceylon for good in 1966. The house, built by British tea planter Colonel Thomas Yates Wright in 1939, is undoubtedly beautiful, oozing character and atmosphere. Today the house belongs to the Peradeniya university and is used as a guest house for students who come on exchange study.

Several times during the evening, I thought it was all illusion, but the walls were there..and they felt so cold to touch. Magic was just naturally present..Ofcourse magic exists..who can doubt it when there are rainbows and wild flowers, when you can lose your heart to soul stirring music and lose your mind to a virgin sheet of paper, when there's the possibility of travelling back in time into the lives of those who lived before us, who gave us memories that were beyond material?..Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic..It's such a simple and yet, such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.

And if you want more magic, you must visit the Pinnawala elephant orphanage situated halfway between Colombo and Kandy. Elephants are a symbol of harmony and patience, power and compassion. We fear them, yet we love them. The Pinnawala elephant orphanage is a sanctuary for rescued, injured and abused elephants and their babies. They give the elephants a happy life, in the forests and the streams. I noticed that there were several volunteers from all over the world, bathing, feeding and caring for the baby elephants.

Kandy

Srilanka doesn't stun you with amazing architecture- it simply immerses you in the abundance of nature. In most parts of the island, it's constantly warm, there's just jungles and beaches and beautiful, warm hearted people. And even though almost every inch of their soil has been oiled with blood, the country seems to be full of strong people, -- the kinds who smile in the morning, like they never cried at night! Today, the scene around is tranquil and peaceful.

The pictures below are of 'The Temple of the Tooth', in Kandy. It's rather interesting, even if you are, like me, not into temples:) This temple is supposed to house the relic of the tooth of The Buddha, the only surviving relic of The Buddha. Kandy, often called 'The hill capital of Srilanka' or 'The sacred city of Kandy', is now a 'UNESCO world heritage site'.

From Kandy, your car bumps slowly up the road (roads are narrow and winding, and most cars are not in great condition) to Nuwara Eliya, - a 70 km stretch, that can take more than 2 hours, ..along which, you you are compelled to just slow down and smell the tea leaves. Nuwara Eliya, also called 'Little England', is paradise inspired by silence. All along the road, tea shops nestled in the midst of the plantations welcome you in for a steaming cup of tea with biscuits and cake. But I felt more like I was in England when I discovered that there are exclusive little places that serve ONLY strawberries with fresh cream:)

Nuwara Eliya is all about glistening green tea plantations, moist nights, chatting idly about everything and nothing at all, and taking the world for granted.. There's stunning mountain scenery and waterfalls, cave temples and bird watching, and plenty of good, old fashioned relaxing!

While in Nuwara Eliya, we stayed at 'The Heritance Tea Factory', www.heritancehotels.com/teafactory . It's an old British tea factory converted into a hotel and it's FABULOUS. Run by Aitken Spence, 'The Tea Factory' is arguably the finest hotel in the highlands. Although the last few miles of the journey can be tiring and seemingly endless, the experience is divine! It's a beautiful place, created thoughtfully, keeping in mind changes in time and history.

The restaurant at The tea factory.

The lobby

The tea bar

Colombo
Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of Colombo, save what I took of the house we stayed in.(below). While in Colombo you MUST shop! There's' Odel', there's' House of Fashion', there's 'Barefoot', there's 'Paradise road', and then there are all those shops filled with Srilankan gems and jewellery .
There's this restaurant called 'Gallery Cafe', which used to be Sri lanka's famous architect, Geoffrey Bawa's office,; Cinnamon Gardens is Colombo's most plush neighbourhood, and there are numerous quirky old restaurants to sit around for a sunset drink or to eat a flavourful Srilankan meal. The restaurants are usually packed with a colourful assortment of patrons..Backpackers sitting next to young locals and expats sitting at the bar discussing cricket with Srilankan old timers:)

My grandfather's passport, stamped in 1966.

Stories you read when you're the right age never leave you, and what you remember from childhood, you remember forever..- permanent ghosts, stamped, inked, imprinted, eternally seen...-

'Human life, is purely a matter of deciding what's important to you...The saddest people I've met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all, those who have no interests, no passion. Without passion and satisfaction, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last..'

Bangkok's beloved Chatuchak market, Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai in Northern Thailand

2012-01-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

It's a new year!.. There's so much excitement, so many expectations, so many resolutions, so much hype!.. But I sometimes think it's just enough to be aware of the preciousness of being alive. This year, may the mundane matters with which we were so preoccupied slowly recede and fade away. May we realize that we are here and now, alive in this moment, and that is our only concern. May we accept ourselves as we are, with all our imperfections. May there be no judgement. May we simply realize that we are JUST A PART OF THE WORLD AROUND US and NOT THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE! And this year, may we try and

Live simply,

love generously,

speak kindly and

care deeply.

Wishing you all a year of growth and evolvement!

Happy 2012!

BANGKOK!...The press and the people spend so much time celebrating Bangkok's sheen of western sophistication that they forget that the city was once an oriental muse, inspiring writers like Somerset Maugham and Joseph Conrad to put their pens to paper and record tales of the east. Today Bangkok is still wonderful, but frenetic and overwhelming. It is a fast and furious city of business and commerce, but there is a lot in the city that hasn't changed for many years.

While Bangkok, like any other international city has no dearth of malls, it makes sense to skip the malls and head for a slice of local life: The markets..The colourful, vibrant markets!

Before we go on, a few quick words of warning and advice for enthusiastic travellers who, like me, are naive enough to think they know everything, or atleast, they can figure it out..

1. When distance is involved, always take the skytrain or the BTS. Bangkok's skytrain system is so easy to follow, and probably, the least complicated in the world! If you jump into a cab during rush hour (sometimes, it's rush hour all day), you will find yourself stalled in exhaust filled traffic, sometimes for up to two whole hours.

2. Avoid the big and famous night spots on the weekends, - The only people you'll see there are visitors, pick up guys trying to scam them and kids too young to know any better.

3. Don't question the willingness of Thai girls to date or marry white men who are much older to them!

4. And if you are willing to eat street food, (which is pretty hygienic, all over Thailand), you can probably eat for less than ten dollars for the entire day!

5. Make sure you plan your trip to Thailand so you are in Bangkok for the weekend, just so you can visit Chatuchak, which with it's 15,000 stalls is the world's largest outdoor market, and then travel down south to places like Hua Hin, Koh Samui or Krabi, if you are seaside person, or travel up north to Chiang Mai, Ching Rai and the Golden Triangle if you are mountain/valley person.

Chatuchak Market at 8 am on a Sunday morning.

Bangkok's Chatuchak Market is one of my most favourite places in the world to be in. I believe that every person carries within himself a world made up of all that he has seen and loved. I have come back to Chatuchak again and again, just for that abundance of energy, vibrance and strength that fills me everytime I visit. When you enter Chatuchak, put your map away and close your eyes for a minute.. Then just walk in the direction that looks the busiest...It's time to get lost! You could throw yourself into Chatuchak's maze of streets a hundred times over and still come out at a different point. It's one of those places where you go with a map, a plan and a mission, but very quickly discover that something else is finding you..Inspite of many visits, I have never been bored, and never known what I'll find around the next corner.

Assuming you're staying somewhere along Sukhumvit Road, which is Bangkok's most central area, you could walk up to your nearest BTS station and take the BTS to Mo Chit station, get out at exit no.1, and walk another 200 meters towards Chatuchak. The market is supposed to be divided into 27 sections, but it's so huge and chaotic that trying to find which section sells what and trying to find your way into a particular section may begin to look increasingly impossible , specially as the day progresses, bringing with it CROWDED streets, spilling over with shoppers and onlookers who flock from everywhere to chill out, to haggle, to eat..If you enter Chatuchak at 7 or 8 am, you have the market all to yourself, you eat fruit from a small cart for breakfast, in the warmth of the company of an old Thai woman flashing a toothless smile , looking at you compassionately.. At dusk, in the same market, you are pushed in the direction of the crowds, and you might be in a situation when all you want, is to find a person who speaks some english... to help you get out, and then every cabbie you approach with the name of your hotel, will give you a blank expression, as if to say, there's no place like this on planet Earth...So with your hands loaded with shopping bags, you have to find your way, through the thronging crowd to the right exit that will take you to the BTS station again...and after like around 10 hours of walking through the day..you could go crash into a foot massage place next to your hotel! P.S- I'm just trying to tell you to leave before dark.. so you can relax and go have a fabulous dinner at 'The Zanzibar', on Sukhimvit, Soi 11, enjoying live music:)

In one corner of Chatuchak, after lunch at an unpretentious eatery with no name, I found some deliciously reviving coconut ice cream, with water chestnuts, coconut shavings and 'taro', served in a coconut shell! Happily, Thailand has a lot of this..and so, I surrendered to eating some of it every single day :)

If this is your first trip to Bangkok, you could go for an evening stroll along Silom Road, experience the exotic Chao Phraya river, visit the Sao Pakkad Place, sample Jim Thompson's house, go to Wat Po, - the temple that houses the world's largest reclining Buddha and take a river boat cruise at sunset..

Chatuchak Market.. evening 7 pm

If you can't sleep at night..just go to Khao San Road!- where rows and rows of vendors set up shop, where the neon lights flash, where beer flows freely, where you can get a foot massage sitting right on a side walk, along with hundreds of other tourists!

CHIANG MAI
The North of Thailand is a special place. Unquestionably beautiful, the area is defined by it's friendliness, serenity and innate charm. Chiang Mai is a town where the sacred and the mundane, the materialistic and the mystical rub shoulders every step of the way..It is a land of forgotten temples, winding pathways and silent gardens..

While there is enough raucous glitz in Bangkok and the islands down south, Chiang Mai, in contrast, serves up an entirely different social scene..it's so much like a mid sized university town. Of course there are welcoming watering holes, cosy places to watch energetic live bands, and exuberant hotspots packed with friendly folk, eating, drinking, dancing..and giving each other (and you?) an eye! You could head down to the banks of the mighty Ping river for a string of generously sized, hugely popular places for a great night out!There is also a variety of options in the old city square.

Chiang Mai's Nimmanhaemin Road is the epicentre of fashion. You can stroll the entire length of the road , in a short while and then wander into the by lanes, for several smart shops, endless coffee and tea houses and all sorts of little surprises.

I first read about May Kaidee's vegetarian restaurant and cooking school on my friend's cousin's website. One of my happiest days on the trip was a day spent with Duan (in pic below), learning to cook Thai food. May and Duan are two sisters, .. May runs a restaurant and teaches in Bangkok, while younger sister Duan, runs a tiny vegetarian restaurant and cooking school in Chiang Mai. Duan is a superb cook! She cooks her mother's and grandmother's recipes, and some of her own amazing innovations .She'll teach you to whip up a vibrant, flavourful Thai meal , and there's always an emphasis on 'fresh'.
Duan's energy is infectious, and I'm reminded that very little is needed to make a happy life!

Chiang Mai has a WONDERFULLY unique market, called the'Walking Street Market'.. It comes alive every Sunday evening at around 4 or 5 pm, and goes on till 10 pm. A shopping spree doesn't get any more scenic.. And this is easily one of Asia's most beautiful night markets.. maybe, now, becoming a bit too popular for it's own good! If you come early, you can have a leisurely time, but as the evening progresses, the streets get jam packed.
What makes this market so special is that it is blessedly free of mass produced crap and fake stuff. Everything here is made by local artisans and tribals. The food here is down right delicious..Every diet resolution in your mind is replaced by the smoky smell of cart food! Snacking as you walk is impossible to avoid! The SundayWalking Street market is sensational and a must, when in Chiang Mai. (Not to be confused with the everyday night bazaar, or the Wualai walking Street, which is on every Saturday) (In pic below- The sweet seller, who sells a colourful range of delicious sweets at the beginning of the market, in the area that surrounds a beautiful buddhist temple)

Even in a little town like Chiang Mai, where many people are poor and not educated, they follow the garbage segregation system very responsibly. All waste is collected and transported effectively and efficiently.

Oh, The comfort of a foot massage!..It can elevate your mood, relax and revitalize you! And while in Thailand, you MUST go for a foot massage every single day!. You'll be spoilt for choice, and end up walking into some place randomly.. like I did, when I walked into Khunka Massage, on one of the by lanes of the Walking Street Market. And then suddenly, this woman(in pic below) ran in. My first thought when I saw her was, 'Oh, she moves like wind..' She had a certain fire in her that lit up the entire room. And when she introduced herself as my masseuse, I knew I was in for a treat! We spoke with the help of actions, and a few english words..(she spoke in expressive whispers).. Her name was Jessie and she was much older than I thought her to be. And the best part- She was so completely proud and passionate about her job, that it showed in every stroke, in every expression, in every smile! During the course of the massage, as I was watching her, my thoughts wandered back to the previous night, to a lovely restaurant, where a stylishly wealthy couple were sitting at the next table.. , both drowned in their own mobile phones for over an hour...'Money definitely doesn't buy happiness', I remember thinking to myself. Jessie was a reminder that no job is too small, and that happiness comes from within.

Chiang Rai

Three and a half hours by road from Chiang Mai and you're in the comparatively sleepy Chiang Rai province..Caught between Burma and Laos, the Northern province of Chiang Rai sits at a fascinating crossroad of culture. Not so much a full-on tourist destination by itself, Chiang Rai is a good spot to hole up for a few days to make day trips to the surrounding mountain villages and to The golden Triangle.
Chiang Rai's most stunning temple is the White Temple, which is striking in it's snowy whiteness, to symbolize Buddhist purity.
One of Chiang Rai's claims to fame is its wealth of hill tribes.Once mired in Poverty and opium addiction, the tribes' fortunes were given a small lift when the king developed royal projects to educate them about other forms of agriculture... and of course, tourism plays a vital part to boost their income. Numbering approximately 600,000, the hill tribes consist of 6 main groups, most of whom have migrated into the area in the last 150 years, originating from Yunnan, Burma and even Tibet.

Tribesmen believe that a woman's beauty is heightened by the illusion of a slim, long neck! So, the custom of wearing neck rings is actually related to an ideal of beauty?? From what I heard, most people of the Karen tribes are officially stateless , do not have birth certificates and cannot register as Thai citizens. They aren't even allowed to go outside their villages, into the larger towns, without written permission by Thai officials.

I was saddened by the fact that they must bear being photographed and and be put on public display for tourists who visit them to save them from grinding poverty. They were extremely sweet and friendly women, never tired of smiling..

And as you go further up, on the 70 km stretch that takes you from Chiang Rai to the Golden Triangle,the land is green and fertile, ..and at every few feet you will see women selling strawberries, chestnuts, oranges and tiny pineapples, delicious like nowhere else...

Mae Sai , the northernmost city of Thailand, boasts all the features of a border town (an overflowing market,a mix of ethnicities..) During the border opening hours, from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm , each side is awash with visitors. You can cross the border and enter the town of Tachilek in Burma, with a 500 baht day pass, (and tick another country off your list(?)!

The Golden Triangle, in the little village of Sop Ruak, is where the borders of 3 countries- Thailand, Burma and Laos converge. Exotic it may sound, but it's really a bit of a disappointment! Still, you could gaze across the Mekong River to Burma and Laos..ignoring the speed boats and the souvenir vendors..

If you have a writer's mind, you experience everything twice. Your attentiveness doubles. My objective here, is not just to give information.. When I write, I do what I can, and give what I have.. When I meet people, I try not only to listen, but also to gauge the silence.. Sometimes, it doesn't feel wrong to persist on being impractical and idealistic.. brave and naive...and to always be in touch with that crazy, dreamy kid, who spent so much time in the school library..
There are sometimes just images and half formed thoughts that I cannot refine into words... My mind stops working and I start wishing for a magic pill, until I realize that there is no magic, EXCEPT FOR THE MAGIC INSIDE YOU!
Thailand has been an all out assault on the senses : What stays with you are the surprises, the revelations, the experience of the new, the joy of meeting interesting people, and encountering unfamiliar sights and sounds, flavours and smells..
Thank you for journeying with me.. Perhaps one day, we'll meet a ferryman, who will talk spirituality to us, as he rows us across the river, like the one in Hermann Hesse's 'Siddhartha'..

Chennai -- where life is one long summer!

2011-12-16T05:40:00.000-08:00

Wherever I travel, coming back to Chennai is always like coming home to an old friend's house. I deeply love and have some treasured memories of the Madras of my childhood - The large white washed houses with red roofs and large canopies of rain trees standing sleepily in their sun kissed courtyards, ..specially my grandparents' sprawling house on College road, the doors of which were always kept open, weekly visits to 'Nilgiris', -the grocery store on Radhakrishnan Road, where we were allowed to fill up baskets with all the chocolate we could eat, Sundays on the sun washed beaches, lazily lying under guava trees, eating unripe guavas, ..cleaner roads, fewer people,,.more greenery, more peace..

Right now it's pouring cats n dogs.. I stand by my window, wondering how much more rain this city, whose roads flood with several feet of water every time there's even a short spell of rain can take.Chennai is not a beautiful city today.- It lacks basic infrastructure, sidewalks are practically non existent, the traffic is chaotic and the climate's a scandal! But Chennai is no worse than the average city.. In fact, it's better than many. And importantly, it is one of India's safest cities.

This post came about, because despite the filth, the hassle and the noise, I still believe that Chennai is a city with a soul..

To begin with-- I have this short but very informative introduction by a dear friend and a long time resident of Chennai :

Madras - The Early Days

The English were successful in obtaining from Emperor Akbar a firman (royal decree) permitting trading facilities similar to the one granted to the Sultan of Turkey. The Mughal Empire, though at its zenith, was weak at sea and, as a matter of high policy, desired to have skilled mariners and naval fighters, even if they belonged to some other nation, to counter the Portuguese.

In 1615, Sir Thomas Roe obtained from Jehangir’s Court favourable concessions for trading. This suited the Grand Mughal, as the East India Company in Surat from 1600 was already being used as sea police to keep the routes to Mecca open. Roe remained for nearly three years and admitted to an “intimate intercourse” with the Emperor in “a curious and interesting account of his whole sojourn.” But trade, which was Britain’s primary interest was not flourishing. They were looking out for another location to establish base, in the hope of bettering their prospects.

As early as 1626, the British were anxious to get a foothold on the Coromandel (East) coast. They secured a piece of land at Armagon, 35 miles north of Pulicat, (now in Andhra Pradesh) where a factory and fort were built, but soon realised that the local Naik (chieftain) was unfriendly and even here scope for trade limited. A decision to abandon Armagon and seek new pastures along the coast was taken.

Damarla Venkatappa Naik of Tondaimandalam offered Francis Day of Armagon, as representative of the East India Company, liberal concessions if the English settled in a town they should establish in the name of his father, Chenappa Naik. In 1639, Francis Day acquired territory in Madras in the name of the Company, and, by 1640, a settlement was developed and christened Fort St. George, after the patron saint of England. The rest, as they say, ‘is history’. Authority and power that came to be exercised from Fort St. George.

‘Madraspatnam’ was the site of the fort where the English lived. The area beyond, where

the Indians lived, was called by the Indians ‘Chennapatnam’. (now George Town) The English, however, preferred to call both towns as Madraspatnam! ‘Chennai’ harks back to what the Indians called their town.

Since 1996, Madras has been officially called Chennai.

Every city, however large or small, is divided into two - The city of the rich and the city of the poor..

If you are rich here, you are distinctly Indian, but you are worlds apart from the India you see on the streets, and of course- you are perpetually drunk on the good life -and when you see little kids begging on the streets, you think briefly, about life not being fair, and then, you get used to it... But I'd like to tell the rich what Mark Twain once said..'Remember the poor.. It costs nothing'. Do your bit, because poverty deprives a man of all spirit and virtue and the inevitable consequence of poverty is dependence..

In Chennai, we have just a handful of trendy shops, no bohemian bars..we do not have the liveliest arts or music scene, nor the hippest population, but I'm going to list here, some really nice restaurants and stores..

My picks are already mainstays, and hopefully won't vanish overnight, but I will keep updating this post with every new and worthy addition..

Restaurants (not necessarily in order of favourites)

1. Latitude by The Park, on Rutland Gate 4th Street. Everyone should have a friendly neighbourhood restaurant :)

2. Kryptos by Willi- Khader Nawaz Khan Road- Greek food, a nice salad bar

3.Tuscana, in Wallace Garden- also Italian, also by Chef Willi.

4. Italia at the Park Pod - Khader Nawaz Khan Road - My absolute favourite!

5. Sandy's- At RA. Puram and Wallace Garden..- A reminder- don't skip dessert

6. 5 Senses, Meditteranean- on Khader Nawaz Khan Road

7. Moven Pick, now moved to Nungambakkam high road- ice cream that's more European

8. Golden Dragon - Taj Coromandel- when you want to indulge in Chinese cuisine with an Indian flavour- awesome tea! Priceless- like everything Taj!

9. Eden- at The Harrisons Hotel, - great for an evening with the entire family- there's something for everyone!(vegetarian)

10. Raintree @ The Taj Connemera- Chettinad food under raintrees- in this stunningly beautiful hotel from the times of the British Raj

11. Azulia at GRT Grand - Lovely Lebanese and Mediterranean food

12. Shree Mithai Spur Tank Road & Shanthi Colony, for Indian sweets and chaat

13. Lotus @ The Park- Thai food, and an especially scrumptious brunch spread combined with their Coffee shop 601 on Sundays

14. Bee's Kopitiam in the food court at Express Avenue mall..run by malays, authentic malay food. You'll keep coming back for their char grilled Kway Teow

15. Bayleaf in Gopalapuram- satisfying bengali food

16. Gangothri on Cathedral Road, also for Indian sweets and Chaat

17. Don Pepe..on Cathedral Road..when all you want is the taco! Great Mexican food!

18. Hot breads for fresh bread and pastries on Cathedral Road and other locations

19. Baskin Robbins -icecream on Cathedral Road.. haven't you tasted their Missisippi mud yet?

20. Ente Keralam- for a taste of Kerala., Poes Garden

21. The French Loaf, also for bread and Pastries- On TTK road and in other locations.

22. Ox and Tomato- on St Mary's Road- for thin crust pizzas and great bowls full of salad.

23. The Cupcake Company on St Mary's road, for the best cupcakes in Chennai!

24. Dakshin @ The Park Sheraton - for everything South Indian

25. Maha Mudra, in Mylapore, by the Isha Foundation - healthy, wholesome vegetarian food, and open for breakfast everyday!

26. Fruit Shop on Greams Road, now in various locations, great fresh juice and shakes

27. Shiraz café: Inside the Cholamandal Artists village, Injambakkam, on the ECR- another personal favourite.. Iranian food, cooked by a gracious Iranian woman.. Eat out in a beautiful courtyard, under the trees. Nice spread on Sundays.

28. Bella Ciao: Italian food in a cozy garden atmosphere- Kottivakkam, by the sea

29. Baywatch @ The Taj Fisherman's Cove, on the ECR. - for those romantic evenings, when you can have dinner watching saffron sunsets, with the waves threatening to nibble at your toes.

30. Moon Rakers- Mahabalipuram.. awesome sea food in a shack like setting

Bars & Pubs

1. Chipstead- The new bar at The Taj Coromandel

2. Rhapsody at The Marriot

3. The Leather Bar at The Park

4. Distil at The Taj Connemara

5. Dublin in Park Sheraton

6. Blend at the Taj, Mount Road

7. Zara on Cathedral Road

8. 10 Downing in T Nagar

Stores

1. Amethyst- designer clothing, the best florists in Chennai, great for coffee and conversation- stylish and European. - Whites Road, Royapettah.

2. Anokhi- Chamiers Road- Womens' clothing and home linen - Indian, but chic.

3. Kilol- Womens' Indian wear- very pretty.- On Nungambakkam High Road.

4. Shilpi- On CP Ramasamy Road and College Road- Womens' wear - ethnic, Indian and home linen.

5. Azure: On Khader Nawaz Khan Road and Cp Ramasamy road- Indo western wear for women and girls.

6. Tulsi silks, in Mylapore- traditional silk and non silk sarees for women.

7. Landmark- on Nungambakkam high road and in a few other locations- every book lover's favourite store.

8. Wills Lifestyle on Khader Nawaz Khan Road- western clothing for men & women.

9. Cotton world corp- Casual, trendy western wear for men and women, on Khader Nawaz Khan Road.

10. Shreyas - a lifestyle store in a heritage bungalow - Dr. Alagappa Road

11. Evoluzione on Khader Nawaz Khan Road for designer clothing and accessories

12. Collage on Shafee Mohammad Road/Greams Road also for designer clothing

13. Naturally Auroville on Khader Nawaz Khan Road- for incese , candles, ceramic and a whole range of other beautiful stuff

14. Nilgiris - grocery store- The largest one is on Radhakrishnan Road, there are a few others in different locations.

15. Amma Naana- opposite Park Sheraton- for groceries and imported groceries- things that you won't find at your regular Indian grocery store.

16. Nuts and Spices and Brown Tree- Both similar stores, on Nungambakkam high Road and at a few other locations- for a variety of nuts , spices, teas and imported goodies.

17. City Centre - The mall on Radhakrishnan Road.. houses a large Lifestyle store, a food court and a multiplex, among other shops.

18. Ampa Mall on Nelson Manickam Road: houses a large number of Shops, a multiplex, and several restaurants, including Mc Donald's, which is a rare sight in Chennai.

19. The Express Avenue Mall, on Whites Road- Has it all!

P.S- All malls in Chennai are EXTREMELY crowded during weekends.

Heritage in Chennai

The Kalakshetra foundation in Thiruvanmiyur, is a centre of training and performance. It provides holistic education in arts in a quiet, natural environment - www.kalakshetra.net
The Theosophical Society, founded in 1875 by Madame Blavatsky and Col.Olcott, is a worldwide organization for universal brotherhood for the benefit of humanity. The society runs a library which has a collection of rare, oriental manuscripts written on palm leaves. It's also a great place for a quiet evening stroll.. when you want to be all by yourself, with only the birds and trees for company: www.ts-adyar.com.
Chennai also hosts the 'Madras Music Festival' every year, between December and January. Spanning 6 weeks, a number of large and small carnatic music concerts are performed by highly competent musicians. The role of the music season is to allow lovers of carnatic music to appreciate performances of renowned artists and to allow young artists to display their talent and skill. Audiences and artists come from all across India and the world to be part of the event.

Spas
Oryza spa on Chamiers Road - serene and soothing atmosphere. Deeply relaxing massage and reflexology treatments.
Kenko spa at the Express Avenue Mall - as good , if not better- no oils used - dry powder massages and reflexogy..Tranquil!

There seems to be heaps of rubbish everywhere... can it all ever be taken away?..Then, there's the Cooum river-- What was once a source of fresh water, is now Chennai's garbage can! Every time I drive by the Cooum, I want to just go back into the woods and build a fire! The sewage, the stagnation, the sludge, the mosquitoes, it makes one feel helpless.. it's US against US! We understand it, but we cannot do anything about it.(?)..On many days, escape is foremost on my mind.. to the sweetness of nature..undisturbed by man.. Oh, but just imagine what it would be like to have the river flowing free again, with tree strewn sidewalks, filled with beauty and bird song, cozy cafes sitting prettily on her banks.. That would be the finest tribute to this city..

Perhaps, these are joys that long to be ours..

Working out with Kamlesh

Those of you for whom the thump thump of the machines are less than inspiring..welcome to an effective, easy to follow, calorie burning fitness party - as unique as the instructor himself! Kamlesh Futnani's Aerobics classes at The Russian Cultural Centre are a series of several choreographed short dance combinations, followed by strength training to strengthen muscles and a stretch routine to cool down and improve flexibility. Classes are usually 60 minutes in length..Try them..you'll become an immediate regular! Kamlesh is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher.
I believe that you learn something from every body you befriend in life- From Kamlesh, I learn that you can survive the most painful situations and still have a wonderful sense of humour, that a positive attitude can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers, that depending solely on oneself and not having any expectations are the roads to true freedom...

Yoga at 136.1

You walk into a yoga studio for a stretch, but you leave with a lot more. With yoga, I like the physical part, but I'm more drawn to the spiritual..Yoga is not just a work out, ..it's about working on yourself. Says Karthi Sekar of Chennai's beautiful yoga studio, 136.1, " 136.1 is different because it is the only place in the country where yoga from so many different schools is taught under the same roof. We are changing the yoga scene in Chennai by taking yoga to the people. we give people an opportunity to practice the kind of yoga that they want to practice at the time that they want to practice in a nice ambience.". Says Joshna Ramakrishnan, a teacher at the same studio, "My challenge every single day is to keep my students happy and united and to meet their expectations. As we unroll our mats, and sit down to the starting prayer, we all tune in to the same frequency, and once we rub our palms together, and bend down to surrender ourselves to the earth before we begin, we know that the next one hour is going to be fun, sweaty and blissful _- It's magical!"

My much loved yoga teacher Joshna (in pic below)..who reminds me of a deer, perhaps a gazelle, and I sometimes wish that some of her grace would fall on me ..like diamond dust.. making me as sleek, slender and flexible...Joshna understands exactly what each student can and cannot do, she's cheerful, energentic, encouraging...and there's a certain sense of calm within her than spreads to everyone else...She comes as a breath of fresh air in a plastic world!

AT THE END OF THE DAY,THERE'S NO PLACE IN THE WORLD LIKE HOME..

Where I live, in Nungambakkam, the neighbourhood is distinctly Muslim... you are woken up to loud murmurs in Arabic and slow, draggingly beautiful 'Allah -u- Akbars'.. from a mosque nearby, as if the entire city is being called to prayer. A Hindu by birth and a Buddhist by belief, I enjoy living amidst demure, soft spoken, friendly Muslim women..

'I believe that life is a journey.. sometimes difficult, sometimes cruel.. but we're all equipped for it. Everybody wants to reach the top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it..It's easy to let days fly by without taking notice to the world around you.. but when you do, you actually realize that life is beautiful.. So soak it in, think about it.. and be grateful..'

Coming up in January- Bangkok's beloved Chatuchak Market, The Golden Triangle where Laos, Burma and Thailand meet, the long necked women of the Karen Hill tribes and gorgeous Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, in Northern Thailand. :):)

Here's Holland!

2011-11-10T01:56:00.000-08:00

Some of my fondest memories of Europe go back to 1997, 14 years ago, when I visited Holland with my dad.This is a post on Holland in 2009, but my first trip was MAGICAL! I have some incredibly fond memories of this lovely little town, called Waalwijk, in the southern part of the country. It was in Waalwijk that green became my favourite colour... I was mesmerized by the glory of grey and green.. which were the most dominant colours of this town where dozens of horses roamed the woods, where the sun shone in shafts through a thousand trees..where the soul felt safe and nourished... How could there not be a god? It was also a period of many realizations.. I realized that everything in life is writable about, that it is the simple things that are the most extraordinary, that in life only a few things are REALLY important, that jewellery and a designer don't make a woman, that a good natured smile can work wonders, that writing and travelling were the two great loves of my life and that the most powerful relationship you will ever have is the one you have with yourself...
I did not go back to Waalwijk this time, but I did discover more of some of Holland's most impressive and picturesque cities.. There is much to tell...

Wassenaar

The little town of Wassenaar is a suburb of The Hague. The car free town centre has a beautiful Romanesque church, a number of high end shops, delicatessens, bakeries, bars and restaurants..It is a stone's throw away from Duinrell..which is a fairyland like theme park, ..a huge attraction if you are travelling with children.
The road that leads from Duinrell to a farmer's market in Wassenaar.(in pic below)

The town centre in Wassenaar

Duinrell is a very different kind of a theme park. The park is set amidst trees and woods, it's very easy to get around, the queues are really short..it's a nice change from your regular Disney theme park. And the best part- you can stay in Duinrell..amidst the trees and playful screams. ..It's like a fun forest retreat! Duinrell is also an ideal location to explore Holland.
Duinrell campsite and theme park.

LEIDEN
Leiden, just 30 km to the south of Amsterdam is a lovely old, charming university town. The University of Leiden is the oldest and most famous Dutch university, founded in 1575. The town center is cozy..and noisy! An evening walk through Leiden's latticework of canals and narrow lanes is a real treat! Leiden is only a short drive away from Holland's famous tulip fields- The Keukenhof Gardens.

DELFT
You must go to Delft, simply because it is one of the prettiest towns in Holland. The entire city has a thoughtful, poetic atmosphere to it. I loved the old fashioned pubs and the the sleepy outdoor cafes. Located midway between Rotterdam and The Hague, Delft is one of the best preserved towns in Holland. The flower lined Wijnhaven is one of Delft's most gorgeous streets. Delft is famous for its blue and white porcelain and pottery. If you are a lover of blue and white porcelain, Delft is all yours - you see blue and white everywhere! You can also visit the Museum Lambert Van Meerten to see Delft's finest collection of Delftware..
Delft is an absolutely relaxing city...soft music fills the streets in the evenings, the perfect silence of the stars in the moist night air,...Il dolce far niente'..Aah..the sweetness of doing nothing!:)

THE HAGUE
I visited The Hague, more out of curiosity, ...Perhaps because, I remember being taught in school that The Hague is one of the head quarters of the United Nations..And no doubt, The Hague is stately, impressive and sophisticated. If you are a compulsive shopper, you owe yourself a visit to some of The Hague's splendid shopping streets, lined with vibrant shops...The luxurious series of strips are frequented by the creme de la creme, including the queen of Holland, who shops here. The Hofkwartier, the oldest part of the city centre, is full of galleries, speciality shops, cosy bars and restaurants of historic charm.
The miniature city of Madurodam, a short distance away, is a nice place to visit to familiarize yourself with everything Netherlands.. From the windmills, to the canals, to the museums and monuments, everything is replicated to the smallest detail on a scale of 1:25.
The Scheveningen Beach is also also a short drive away from The Hague.

AMSTERDAM
Amsterdam is of course a must do on every traveller's list..When I first got off the train, I thought, 'Wow, so this is where all of Europe's remaining hippies landed..'..Amsterdam is a beautiful, old city, with ugly graffiti everywhere;-, Marijuana is sold legally in coffee shops,.. but with it's long history of tolerance and great vibes everywhere, Amsterdam is well worth a visit. You could lose yourself in the canals,or just search out a quiet cafe and watch the world go by...Amsterdam is loaded with places to eat- from sidewalk pubs to classy cafes to superb restaurants..
The Central station is positioned as a starting point to explore the city by foot. No matter what direction you go from here, you'll always enter a special part of the city..
In the oldest part of the city, you'll find yourself standing face to face with Amsterdam's infamous red light district. It is no longer the 'hangout' for 'dirty old men'..Today, this part of town is so crowded; For some reason, it's fully accepted for everyone to confront themselves with this environment. Behind the curtains and the red lights, amidst other things you see women and girls, flashing fake smiles. I do not judge them. As a woman, though, I am appalled by the aspects of prostitution. We do not travel the world, wearing rose tinted sun glasses.. These smiling girls, selling themselves, probably want to get lost from their own lives...

The Rembrandt House museum whose restored interior reproduces the atmosphere of the artist's former residence is an interesting place to visit. The Rijksmuseum is one of Amsterdam's top museums, but the Van Gogh Museum is the country's most loved. You must also take a canal tour though the city.

As a teenager, I have read and re-read Anne Frank's diary. Anne was such an inspiration to me - A jewish girl, who with her family, spent 2 years hiding from the Nazis in the secret annexe of her father's office, jotting down entries in her diary everyday, which were published by her father, after she was killed. A visit to the Anne Frank House is strongly recommended.- Seeing first hand the rooms where the Frank family lived, the book case, the original diary, the photos on the walls..brings everything Anne wrote about to life.

ROTTERDAM
Rotterdam, also called The gateway of Europe, is one of Europe's most important ports. The city is built around several islands on the massive Maas River. Upon leaving the Rotterdam central station, you are immediately immersed in the shopping district. I was very impressed with The Beutraverse (Koopgoot) or The trench, as it is called - a unique and colourful shopping street, built below city level.. Never seen anything like it anywhere! The Lijnbaan was the first pedestrianed shopping area in Europe. The Oudehaven, Rotterdam's oldest harbour is a pleasant area for an evening stroll.
The Trench

Sooner or later, we all discover that the most important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings or the goals achieved.. The real milestones are less prepossessing . They come to the door of memory, unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit, and SIMPLY never leave.. Our lives are measured by these....

The Black Forest: The prettiest forests in Germany

2011-10-08T01:54:00.000-07:00

This is for my beautiful friend, Karin Muller, who inspires me to be tolerant, calm and accepting,.. who always thinks before she speaks, and speaks only what is meaningful, and who made our holiday in the Black forest a real cake walk! - Thank You Karin!

Don't they say.."The best things in life are unexpected, because there were no expectations"? I was pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness of my hotel room in Frankfurt. Those of us who have lived in The United States or in India are almost, always sorely disappointed by European hotel rooms... But it was one of those nights, when you go, 'sleep.. please come.. come... puhleeze!', but sleep doesn't come.., a night of constant time watching, a night of twisting and turning..(yes, this is a super comfortable position and I'm going to be asleep in a jiffy..), and.. turning yet again, a night of watching prostitutes littered all over the street below, (waiting perseverently in the chill of an ungodly hour), and.. a night of missing home dearly! I was glad when daylight finally shone through, bringing with it the old realization that even the most spacious room or the most comfortable bed cannot buy you a peaceful night's sleep.
This was the first face I looked at, in Germany.(below). It's surprising, but come to think about it, we see lots of faces all around us..but we don't look.. We just walk past them all, unless one catches our attention, for whatever reason. This gentleman, was playing some soul stirring music, in downtown Frankfurt. The sincerity in his face was overwhelming..

The beauty of The Black Forest SOOTHES the soul! Rolling hills, dotted with pretty cottages and one picturesque village after another. Bordering France and Switzerland, in a setting SO peaceful, the drive amidst these vast, windswept, forests, fields and mountains, is easily one of Europe's most scenic drives.

When we reached this place, where we stayed, (we reached here only because of kind Mr.Ian , who went out of his way to help us lug our truck load of luggage along), I had this feeling of being suddenly hurled into the silence! It was almost like entering a different world. My thoughts turned to something I once read : 'Don't you get tired?' "But, this is not my profession..this is my hobby.. being medicine man, 'says Ketut. A few more patients come throughout the afternoon, but Ketut and I get some time alone together on the porch. I'm so comfortable with this medicine man, as relaxed as with my own grandfather. He gives me my first lesson in Balinese meditation. He tells me that there are many ways to find god, but most are too complicated, so he will teach me easy meditation. Which goes essentially like this: sit in silence and smile. I love it. He's laughing even as he's teaching it to me. Sit and smile. Perfect. ' You make a serious face, you scare away good energy. To meditate, you must only smile. Smile with face, smile with mind, and good energy will come and clean away dirty energy. Even smile in your liver. Practice tonight. Not to hurry, don't try too hard. Too serious, make you sick.. You can only call good energy with a smile. See you later, alligator. Come back tomorrow. Very happy to see you Liss. Let your conscience be your guide. '

The next morning I opened out the doors to scenery that was like a poem . As I walked out into the crisp, clean air..inhale... exhale.(my lungs were singing), I realized how uncomfortable I was in the silence. We are not used to the silence.. we, who live in the noise;.. the noise of the city, the noise of loud conversation, the noise of society, the noise of the night, when even after the world is asleep, and the dogs have stopped barking, the mind still has something to talk about...But then I realize that solitude is something that we secretly crave, .. it is something that we all deserve.. specially, we, as women, because we tend to give so much of ourselves away..

When we saw Karin enter our little cottage on day 1, we all almost jumped with joy. There's a certain comfort you get from seeing a friend in a faraway country, in a world of strangers. Driving through the Black Forest in Karin's car, it was a day of infinite blue skies, yellow flowers and white orchards, charming little towns and sheer bliss! For me, it was a day of thanking the universe for all the beauty and abundance in my life.

Below are pictures of John's stunning paintings, one of them , of Karin..

The original black forest cake? - Oh well, it's so soaked in cherry liqueur that it actually packs a kick!

On the edge of The Black Forest, as you enter France, lies Strasbourg- a charming french town, that has flavours of both France and Germany. Strasbourg has a stunning , pink sandstone cathedral and is also the home of the European parliament. La Petite France is Strasbourg's most magical neighbourhood. You will enjoy simply wandering down the tiny, cobbled, riverfront streets.

The European Parliament.

The green city of Basel in Switzerland is only a stone's throw away from The Black Forest. Situated on the banks of the River Rhine, Basel is less international than other Swiss cities, but is, all the same considered to be among the top 15 most expensive cities in the world. With it's numerous museums and unique location, it's well worth a day's visit.

Welcome to Freiburg - The capital of The Black Forest. Surrounded by vineyards and blessed with abundant sunshine, Freiburg is a friendly little town, steeped in history and yet, modern and bustling. With it's twisting lanes, pretty courtyards, traditional restaurants and quaint bars, Freiburg definitely comes under the list of my ' favourite cities in the world.'

Tulips in every conceivable colour..

'True happiness comes from mindfulness. Mindfulness helps us to recognize the many conditions of happiness that are available in the here and now. There are many of us who need a certain dose of suffering in order to be able to recognize happiness. When we have actually suffered, we see that just non-suffering is wonderful. There are many who can't sit like us, in peace and calm. A bomb or a rocket might fall on them at any moment, like in the Middle east or Iraq. All they want is peace. They only want cessation of killing. They don't have it. We have a chance to be here.. in much more safety, many of us live in a situation where this kind of suffering does not exist, but we don't seem to appreciate that. We need not go to Iraq or Somalia to understand suffering.. we only need to be mindful.'- Thich Nhat Hanh.

In Triberg you will see Germany's highest waterfalls.. and rows and rows of shops selling the world famous cuckoo clock in many varieties, along with a large number of Black Forest souvenirs. You will also see busloads of tourists. It is said that more than half a million people visit Triberg every year.

Other recommendations in The Black Forest, Germany-
1.) The Europa Park, in Rust is one of the world's leading theme parks. It's numerous attractions are split into 15 different areas, named after European countries. (Please eat in Greece). Europa is great for a day of fun and laughter. Highly recommended for all children and all children at heart.
2.)Sriphen's Thai restaurant,
Karl- Friedrich str, 16
Emmendingen, Baden Wurttemberg 79312
for an UNFORGETTABLE, SUPER DELICIOUS lunch!
3.)Do visit Migros, the lovely swiss supermarket in Freiburg.

My conclusion has nothing to do with Germany. It's just random observation put together. All the same, it's something i feel compelled to write about. As I sit in a school campus, one evening, alternating between watching my children play basket ball and reading 'Shantaram' by Gregory David Roberts, a book I'm drowning in right now, I am distracted by a less fortunate girl under a jamun tree, picking the small, rotten, muddy fruit from the ground. She's collecting them in a dirty plastic cover. She tells me it's for her and her sister to eat, once she gets home, because both her parents break stone on a construction site and won't be back till late. On my left, I see fussy mothers running behind their little daughters, dressed in pink, like barbie dolls, forcing and threatening them to eat, shoving food into their mouths. Oh, you just have to look around you to see how unfair the world is!
Suddenly, one of the barbie doll looking kids, picks up a fistful of sand and hurls it at the fruit picking girl. The older girl charges at the kid and starts shaking her up so violently, that for a moment, all the jabbering around me stops, .. All the fussing mothers, come running to the little kid's rescue. The older girl is scolded harshly and shooed away. I realize that in everybody's eyes, the older girl is wrong.
Are we raising our kids with the belief that if they are well dressed and have more money, they can get away with something like throwing sand on a less privileged person and have absolutely no need to apologize for it? How many of our children will grow up leading meaningless lives and go to their graves ignorant and insensitive?
We all live in this world, with all that is unfair, without knowing why, .. but clearly, it must be possible for us to live with sensitivity and concern! Perhaps, we need to embrace our human impermanence more, .. because eventually.. everything passes.. everything goes away..

Cambodia: Kingdom of Wonder

2011-08-27T04:12:00.000-07:00

The preferred currency in Cambodia, is .. the US dollar! From the tuk tuk drivers to the street vendors, to the bell boy in your hotel, ..that's what everybody wants..one dollar. On my first evening in Cambodia, I thought anything in the world was possible here, with one dollar!
Siem Reap is a small town, WHOLLY dedicated to tourists.Tourists from all over the world, come in hordes.. because Siem Reap, is your base if you want to explore Cambodia's largest tourist destination- The Angkor Wat.

The Angkor Wat is the pride of the Cambodian people (you can see images of it on their beer bottles). The great temples of Angkor, which are now a world heritage site, were constructed by the Cambodian kings between 800 and 1200 CE. This was the seat of the Khmer empire. The entire city was neglected and eventually lost, after a series of wars, until the 19th century, when the city's ruins were discovered by french traveller, Henri Mouhot.

The Angkor complex contains over a thousand temples, ..only the ruins of the temples still stand.. the houses, buildings, palaces have all been destroyed.The temples have been held together, strangled by trees,.. the roots of the trees snake over their walls.. below you see the Ta Phrom temple, which became famous after Angelina Jolie's 'Tomb Raider' was shot here.

Cambodia is one of Asia's poorest countries. Everywhere in Angkor, dirty, barefooted, impoverished children rush to you with hands outstretched..You are always accompanied by hordes of kids, selling jewellery, postcards, knick knacks etc..This little girl in the picture above, was trying to sell me wooden bangles..I was uninterested, because I never wear jewellery or accessories, unless I'm compelled to...I turned and walked away, but she was persistent, she stuck to me and my eyes caught hers..The sadness in them was there for all to see.The sorrow, the helplessness, that poverty and the pangs of hunger bring, were writ all over her little,brown face.When I conceded to buy, and knelt down, to have a closer look at her face, I saw that she suddenly looked ashamed, handing the bangles to me, and taking the money, her head was bent and she stared at the ground..Adult emotions, in little children! Her's is a face I will never forget.

There is plenty to see and do in Angkor. , and not all within walking distance. It helps to get a travel guide for atleast a day..He provides you with background information, takes you to the important temples, gives you an insight of Cambodia,and suggests some good places to eat.

A wedding in the countryside?

Beautiful Cambodian girls dancing in front of the Bayon.
The Bayon temple was one of my favourites.The carvings are extremely lively and full of movement.The battles are well captured on stone.. clearly, life was not peaceful. Some carvings are of the rural landscape of Cambodia, ...then, there's the woman..huddled over a cooking fire..-A TIMELESS FIGURE! The Bayon temple site is located at the heart of the Angkor complex.Needless to say, your guide will know the way.

While in Angkor, please keep in mind, - It is INTENSELY hot.. the temperatures were pushing 40 degrees celsius in May. And- you are amidst ruins, and steep steps, which means, there's PLENTY of walking to do .. walking, climbing and clambering over blocks of stone. But if you can brave it, . you could get lost in the grandeur of it all!

If you can spare some time do visit the Senteurs d'Angkor (in the picture below), where you can buy from a selection of the very best of Cambodian craftsmanship.-. Senteurs d'Angkor, provides women from surrounding villages with work . It is also an opportunity for visitors to aquaint themselves with them.When you enter their premises, you are accompanied by an english speaking guide, who, takes you around and explains the details of every process.

The store , (a part of the Artisans D'Angkor workshop), which is an excellent place for souvenirs.

If you don't mind travelling the distance, just to buy cookies, then go to Madam Sachiko's Angkor Cookies.. a store run by a japanese lady- Sachiko Kojima, specializes in traditional cambodian cookies(the taste of which is worth writing home about).You can also buy lotus tea and some exotically packed spices.

There's an area in Siem Reap called Pub Street,which I visited often(after all, it was only a two minute n one dollar tuk tuk ride away from my hotel), .. the area is packed with western style cafes, restaurants and bars. It gets pretty crowded after dusk,.. the music plays on until 2 or 3 am.. Pub street is the life and soul of SiemReap:)

Like Thai food, Cambodian food is sweet, sour, salty, but less spicy. The Amok beats everything else. The Amok is a curry, served in a coconut shell- made of coconut milk, lemon grass, garlic, keffir lime, fish sauce and chillies... you can ask for it with your choice of fish, meat, vegetables or tofu. It's eaten with warm, sticky, steamed rice. I musn't forget to mention the..(don't try to pronounce this..)- Bai dam nerb khrup khnao- which is sticky rice with jackfruit, clothed in banana leaf, grilled and served with coconut milk and sugar.. need I say more? Some restaurants on Pub street offer Khmer cooking classes and if you walk into a larger restaurant at dinner time, you get to see an Apsara dance.(was pretty impressed with the name:)

Siem Reap has a GORGEOUS(this happens to be my favourite word currently) night market., called the Angkor Night market. Women- this is paradise!. Please go there every single night that you're in Siem Reap.. you still won't have enough of it!

'Many things remain long after they are gone... in the reality of time and space...that's the joy of being human..and the terrible curse..people, places, philosophies, all come and go...in and out of your life.. bringing joyous and painful memories.. and sometimes both...'

Vietnam: beyond lush

2011-08-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

For me, travelling in a foreign land is one of the most pleasurable experiences on earth. The minute I step out of the Tan Son Nhat Int airport in Ho Chi Minh City, on a gorgeous, sun kissed morning, three words spring to mind - Lush, tropical, beautiful!

As Vietnam's largest city, Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon, as the locals still prefer to call it, is home to glittering sky scrapers, innovative fashion, colourful local markets and a million motorbikes. After checking into the Grand Hotel Saigon, - one of the classic old hotels, on Dong Khoi street, District 1, for it's central location, we set out to take in the sights, and the sounds and the smells- with the excitement that only comes with walking out of a hotel into the streets of a country for the first time in your life....and ofcourse, in search of lunch. A few streets of walking, brings us to the much recommended Hua Tuc restaurant. Built on the grounds of Saigon's old opium refinery, (hence the name, Hua Tuc, which translates as opium flower), the restaurant is charming, ..And if you are a new comer to vietnamese cuisine, this is a great place to start!
Vietnamese cuisine is light and fresh.. with an abudance of fish, herbs and greens, soups, steamed rolls and grills..Rice and noodles are mainstays. Dessert is usually seasonal fruit or sweetened rice.. It's an almost fat free cuisine!

During my evening walk, I notice women in conical hats, selling sticky rice, wrapped in banana leaf, children shining shoes, piles of purple sugar cane stacked up on the road side..and the endless stream of motorbikes.(The number of motor bikes in Saigon is to be seen to be beleived)

I gravitate towards the Ben Thanh market.. Nothing gives you a clearer feel for a country and nothing can bring you closer to the local people than mingling amidst them in the local market... After all, we do travel for enrichment and for knowledge, .. and for fulfillment.

The Cho Ben Thanh is Saigon's central market. .. It's an exhiliarating experience...All around me, I see fresh meat, vegetables, lacquer, baskets, clothes, tireless energy and fruit.. oh, the fruit! Make sure you try every fruit in season.
The next morning, I'm at the War Remnants Museum. A courtyard leading to the museum is filled with American airplanes, tanks, helicopters etc.. You buy your ticket here and enter... and.. may the depression begin..

The museum is about the effects of war... (Not just America bashing..), but they show you images of the war crimes and crimes of aggression committed by the Americans in Vietnam - and about the effects of 'Agent Orange' - the deadly chemical that was sprayed all over Vietnam by the Americans (without thinking about future consequences). Even today, Vietnamese children are born handicapped because of it. The most heart wrenching images are on display.

Around me, I see Americans looking around, their arms protectively around their wives or girlfriends... This must be one heavy place for them to visit.

Outside peaceful buddhist temples, you'll find vendors (mostly women), selling whatever you may need for the offering.. fruit, flowers, incense,.. even baby turtles!

While in Ho Chi Minh, you must also visit the Reunification Palace, the Central Post Office and the Notre Dame Basilica, which are examples of Gothic French architecture in Vietnam.

The Mekong Delta (2 hours away by car from Ho Chi Minh) is a world of boats, floating houses and markets.The land is rural, the fruit is abundant, and the singing of birds and humming of old women, weaving cane baskets is all you can hear on some of the islands.
Our guide Tom,(was it his real name, I wonder).. is instantly likeable.. There are some people you take to instantly.. who you are comfortable and at home with from the first handshake... and Tom was all of it. He made us laugh, told us stories, the local gossip and politics...about his family and various tales of the mighty Mekong river .

Your first stop, when your boat pulls up, is at a little island , to a lovely fruit and honey farm..You are given little cups of tea, with fruit honey, vietnamese sweets, and of course, plates full of cut fruit.. all locally grown. There are large snakes lying around in baskets..and.. pretty vietnamese girls sing to you..

I see little girls, quietly helping their grandmothers weave fabric in a loom and then playing with their neighbours.. Little boys grin cheekily and jump into the river, without a care in the world...

You can hop off at another island, .. this one's essentially a coconut candy producing island. Everywhere, there are women, sitting in groups, laughing, chatting, and.. making or producing coconut candy..We are allowed to sample as many as we like, and given my ridiculous sweet tooth, I might have ended up sampling coconut candy till dusk, if Tom did'nt whistle out that the boat was leaving...

In the next island, you can climb on to a horse cart( if you are not an animal activist, an animal lover, or if you don't think too much about the horse's feelings, .. don't climb on and whine about feeling sorry for the horse the entire way ,like I did, thus spoiling the experience for fellow travellers) and .. anyway.. the poor horse takes the load of us to a picturesque riverside restaurant, among lush fruit trees..where you eat authentic vietnamese grilled fish, vegetable rolled in rice paper.. and a whole lot more....

The Mekong delta is a must do for all lovers of local culture, exotic fruit.. and all things coconut..I wish to travel along the mekong delta again, to Laos, and then to Hue, in Vietnam, because Hue is the birth place of buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, whose books I always look to for answers....

"The real challenge is not to walk on air, or water.. but rather to walk on earth..."

In the Glorious Arabian Desert

2011-08-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

In a landscape that's predominantly yellow, brown and red, you suddenly realise that you miss seeing green. Paradoxically, the human mind craves what it cannot have. In this case, in spite of all the splendor and beauty there already is. The grand spread of desert sand is truly gorgeous! Despite the glitter, glamor and the money, this is Arabia's real beauty. The sands stretch on, there seems no end...I'm so reminded of Paulo Coelho's Santiago (my favourite fictional character, only after the gutsy Scarlett O' Hara from 'Gone with the Wind'). The boy speaks to the desert and gets his answers from the desert. It seems easy to understand now... because when you are in the middle of a desert... you are a speck. You realise how insignificant you actually are in the scheme of creation. Here, the desert is all powerful... all consuming... and God is yellow, brown and red...

P.S: It's another story of course, that the Arabs enjoy wine and sheesha in the sunset, while watching slender waists of belly dancers gyrating to mesmerizing egyptian music, while Japan continues to rock... But, I think we'll leave that for another day...

Deepa

April 2011

Sun soaked olive groves & cheese drenched pizzas: Random thoughts while travelling in Italy...

2011-05-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

P.S- I'm not too proud of his post. Being my first post in the blog and published some years back, today it seems too immature.. full of pictures and too many stories!..Anyway..

It's actually pretty difficult to smile when you're tired and bored..The guy didn't come to pick us up at the airport, and when we called, he said he was stuck in traffic, so we took a cab to the apartment where he met us- an afghan boy, dying to speak in urdu, and SO disappointed that we did'nt speak any..it was midnight and all we wanted to do was sleep... I remember thinking to myself that the apartment was clean and spacious.. and like everything else in Rome, ancient, probably even haunted.. fell asleep in an instant, too tired to worry about ghosts or anything else.. everything could be taken care of in the morning.. That night I dreamt that I had landed in Afghanistan instead of in Italy..

Rome

Rome is an immediately captivating city. We walked around the corner from the apartment and there it was - The Colosseum, I walked around the ruins with an almost eerie sense of familiarity..

Always the map reader (with the help of whose map reading skills we have enjoyed walking through entire cities)...

This man does this for a living

It all started with this... the 17 that were to follow in 2 weeks..

No one seems to be wishing at the Trevi fountain these days.. But lots of people are busy clicking pictures for facebook.. oh, yes.. some of the Old world charm IS lost...

A friend asked me to bring back a Ducati, but all I could get was this...

Love to vist every morning market that's happening around town..

From atop the dome of St Peter's Basilica at The Vatican

The little restaurant opposite the apartment where we had breakfast every morning.

I love Rome for it's convenience.. it's such a walkable city.. it always seems like everything's just around the corner..

TUSCANY

The Tuscan country side is full of simplicity and charm.The air has a fresh, unused feel to it.. and when you pass by a little village, the smell of freshly baked bread wafts through...These are pictures of the Norcenni Girasole club in Figline Valdarno, where we stayed. The resort itself, resembles a Tuscan village complete with supermarkets, restaurants, gelaterias, swimming pools, fitness centres and a whole lot more.

ONE EVENING IN TUSCANY..

One evening I decided to wander around the campsite by myself and ended up sitting in front of the pizzeria for a few minutes of my favourite pastime.. people watching. Sitting next to me was an old gentleman(in the picture above), probably in his eighties and clearly unwell..all shaky, probably with parkinsons..also, mentally, rather unstable.I assume he was the owner of the property on which the campsite was. He lived in a beautiful house on the property. His wife peeped in and out for a while and then she stopped. His caretaker, an African woman, talked and talked.. and talked - on a mobile phone. Whenever the old man was bored, which was like, every 15 minutes , he shouted and waved his hands about violently. She hushed him down, pulled him up, shoved him onto another chair and continued with her jabber., in some strange language. I saw this happen almost every evening I was there. I have nothing more to say about this, but sometimes you know certain things you see will creep right into you and stay with you for a long time to come...and this was one of them. Strange, also because a few days back, when I was walking down a lane in Trastevere in Rome, with my son who is just a little over eleven, we saw a lot of elderly people walking with dogs and he asked me "Mom, will you have a dog for company when you'll are older?" "Maybe", I said, "And where will you be?".."er..in The Netherlands I think.." was the reply. We are sometimes compelled to think about life and change.. It's a rather unsettling feeling, but like buddhism tells us, and like what we already know.. change is the only constant..

Our neighbour here, Mr.Leinonen from Finland. I always wave out and say a loud 'Hello' while he, folds his hands and stoops slightly forward with a soft 'vanakkam'. He was one man I always looked forward to bumping into or having a conversation with. .. an optimistic , elderly man, .. he has worked for several years with the Finnish government to provide clothes and education for children in many parts of southern I ndia.. He mentioned places like Chennai, Salem and Yercaud. I knew we were destined to meet..

It took me little time to realize that he was an extremely happy human being. He went for slow, long walks, he took several pictures of flowers and birds, and.. he had no complaints at all- (not even about the weather in Finland(!) Here was a man who had worked hard all his life, roughing it out in the harsh ,icy cold winters, raised a family of 5 children and had spent an enormous part of his retired life helping people. I asked him once, when he was coming back to India (would have loved to have him as my guest), ..he looked at me, thinkingly for a while and then said ,' perhaps, I am too old now..'

Sometimes you feel great love for people you hardly know, and the thought that Mr.Leinonen was really too old to continue all the wonderful work he was doing made me sad..But it also made me think...

Off for my walk..the early mornings and late evenings are rather cold (in May). Well, not too cold, but cold enough to make you curl up on the couch and not want to move, cold enough to make you want to postpone your shower for as long as you possibly can, and.. cold enough to keep you feeling hungry all the time. The day seems perfect. The air is warm and kind! The sun shines happily on your face all day long, turning the europeans into an awkward orange and making us look browner than ever..

Water bottle Cricket

PISA AND LUCCA

One day we suddenly decided on a tour of Pisa and Lucca with a group of people from the resort.. Our guide, Liz (original name withheld), was a stocky, matronly looking Irish woman who spoke english and a smattering of german.There were 2 german families, one dutch, one english and us. There were no north indians, no americans and no noise...(no offence meant here, ofcourse. Infact I adore the North Indians and the americans for the cheer they bring. I remember the time we were stuck in a long queue at St.Peter's Basilica.. it's always great to have a group of americans around you at times like these.. they talk about all kinds of things, they talk without stopping, and they talk loudly enough to keep the 10 people in front of them and behind them entertained.) But the drive through the Tuscan countryside was relaxing and I wanted to enjoy it..and our guide was so so bubbly, she was almost frothing over with energy..

I wonder why people go to Pisa. The place is infested with tourists (like us) and worse still, infested with shops selling crappy souvenirs that only tourists would buy. I thought there were more people looking at the souvenirs than at the tower itself. Maybe they just come to tell other people that they saw the leaning tower of Pisa :-)

I fell in love with Lucca in an instant. Maybe it was just that time of the day, maybe it was the weather, or or maybe it was just the relief of being out of Pisa. .. and being smiled at by the pink cheeked locals instead of being pushed around by tourists from God knows where...Ah, Lucca!- the echoing alleyways, shopkeepers gossipping at the doorways, well-fed children tumbling over one another.. and the old, old feel to it all...it was lovely, perfect... I could live there.. er. no, actually on second thoughts, I could'nt. I'd miss home too much..wherever I travel, I always say 'Thank you god for making me live in Chennai..', inspite of Chennai, like most parts of India, being a wondrously chaotic city..

Towards the last half hour of the journey, we got chatting with our guide, Liz. She told me some interesting things about her life.. divorced and with a son, she came to this resort in Tuscany 8 years back on a holiday from Ireland. Here, she met a chef and they fell in love( as simple as that!). He moved to Ireland 4 years back to be with her, since her son was studying there. But he couldn't live there..(no blue skies.., no gatherings of people talking noisily over dinner till 2 am..) so, he got back to Tuscany. Liz stayed on till her son finished high school, enrolled him in University and moved to Tuscany to be with her chef boyfriend. And she did say someting like, they bought a little cottage in the Tuscan countryside. 'Not bad,' I thought, 'Not bad at all!'.. a beautiful end for 2 people in their 50's, after a long distance relationship of 8 years.!

LOVE IS TRULY AMAZING!!

FLORENCE

Florence is ofcourse, an immensely beautiful city. I always think of Florence as an old woman- graceful and charming.. but there are some parts of her that are like a young girl.. stylish, all dolled up, and so deeply, endlessly gorgeous..There are several little nooks and corners in Florence that have been transformed into shops and cafes, more swish and stylish than those in London or Paris. Along the beautiful avenues of mustard coloured buildings and cobbled pathways, everyone seemed to be wearing clothes that looked like they had been bought just that morning...

the Cascine Market in Florence

I have to particularly mention this cosy little restaurant , called 'Antica Trattoria Il Giardino ', close to the Termini station in Florence, on a quiet road. We went there on someone's recommendation and it was lovely. I dig authentic country cooking and they served some fabulous Tuscan roasted potatoes with beans and salad, nice pasta and perfectly baked lasagne.The food was remarkable!

Antica Trattoria Il Giardino, Via della scala 61/R, 50123 Firenze. T: 055 213141

If I had to write a book on Italy, an entire chapter would be devoted to her men. Most of them are strikingly good looking, - the droopy, dreamy eyes.. They smile and wink at strangers and they flirt so effortlessly..and yes.. they shrug their shoulders all the time..I thought that a lot of the waiters and bus drivers looked better than George Clooney and Jude Law. Like Elizabeth Gilbert says in 'Eat, pray, love'- "Sometimes they look so good, I want to applaud.."

Michael Angelo's David - (clicked amidst protests from the kids..."why are you taking pictures of this naked man?)

Ponte Vecchio - the jewellery street in Florence...

The central market in Florence. Could be called the leather goods market..

VENICE

What does one say about Venice? It's been called the most romantic city on earth! But when I entered St. Marks square, I thought the whole world was there. There were dozens of jabbering men trying to sell everybody everything.Venice's charm lies outside St.Mark's, so take the ferry and visit the less crowded places off the heart...

In our search for something other than Italian food we came across this chinese restaurant in St Marks, which I would recommend if you like Asian food: Ristorante Cinese, CAPITOL, Castello 4294, Campo SS. Filippo e Giacomo, 30122 Venezia. T: 041.5225331

The charming Rialto market

During my last couple of days in Italy, after days of baking in the Tuscan sun, I could'nt quite recognise myself,. So I went to this little pharmacy where a gentle , old woman,(with a kind, searching face), who spoke a teeny bit of english, looked at me puzzlingly,"You want to remove de brown colour? why? we like to get de brown colour.." I just wanted to look like myself again, ..oh, well, somethings cannot be explained, .. . I had to leave quickly, because she was trying to talk me into 'getting more brown colour' with all the stuff she had, and about brown people being very lucky ..that they 'were already brown colour'..

UNION LIDO- CAVALLINO (near Venice)

I devoted an entire day to walk around this vast campsite. I hadn't intented to, but it was so restful that I could'nt pull myself away. Strolling on the beach, I saw sailing boats that dotted the water, little white ferries sailed by..super friendly restaurants and cafes stand invitingly around..not to mention the over ample bowls of home made icecream that were readily available everywhere..and then, we spent hours playing on the swings, the slides, the pools, on the beach.. even in the woods(where my son told me he spotted some rabbits and witches). Where were the elves, the pixies and the brownies? I can only remember Enid Blyton, who lit up my entire childhood, and whose books I still turn to when I want to feel wonderful again..

The resort itself is a series of lanes, little squares, wonderful shops and restaurants of great charm.

Our favourite place on the campsite

I am on a special diet here- it's called the pizza- icecream (or anything cheesy, sugary, creamy, chocolatey) diet. We spent an evening taking pictures of ourselves.. especially of me..it's rather a privilege- being the only woman in the family, and hence- the most photographed person..the kids took lots of pictures of me posing(some of which, ofcourse, I cannot put up here), and burst out into sudden bouts of laughter, looking at them, exclaiming, "Oh, mom, you look evil in this one..". Oh well, it does'nt matter.. sometimes- nothing does.. I think they were even discussing which evil character from their favourite movies I resembled. I hope they did'nt conclude on Cruella De Ville.

Time to start some damage control...

Today I sit out in the warm evening air, ..beneath a slice of moon that hangs smugly in the sky, with only my book and pen for company.. a quiet breeze teases my hair.. and.. I realize how much I miss home. Italy is of course, a land like no other, - beautiful people, pale yellow sceneries, excellent food... but after a while, being free and happy in a foreign land does not sound so appealing and exotic..It is only natural to get tired of the the resorts, tired of trains and planes, tired of existing in a world of strangers...There is nothing more a person loves than to be back with kith and kin, in our own wonderful country, back within the walls of our beautiful houses, and back to the comfortable familiarities of what we call home..

It has been a splendid holiday...wherever in the world you go, you realize that all human beings want to be happy, they want to be loved and cared for, they want the best for their children. The world is still a kind and beautiful place for us all to live in.

Love, peace and happiness,

Deepa.:)

Coming soon.... my next post on Vietnam & Cambodia...