September 2019

Visit to Switzerland, Austria, Budapest and Prague Part 1

We are all familiar with the quotation, “If there be a heaven on earth, it is this, it is this, none but this” attributed to Mughal emperors who talked about Kashmir, but I would like to apply it to Switzerland! Truly, the people who live here permanently are the chosen ones, drinking in with their eyes the rolling green hills, the meadows with tinkling cowbells and each house set on the hillside, a haven of peace and quietitude. Opening their windows day after day and finding that amazing sight, hearing the muted sound of cowbells and breathing in pure fresh air who would not be in an otherworldly state of bliss? Truly on this tour I for one re-lived my childhood love for the book Heidi who comes from the city to stay with her grandfather in the Swiss mountains and recuperate her health. As a bonus she discovers how fabulous simple village life is.

Sigh! We do not have a home there, but at least we were blessed with a comprehensive visit that can live on with us for a long long time. Our thanks to Lakshmi tours for honoring our request and arranging this amazing tour. The gods did smile on us and though it was mid September, the grass was still an amazing green, the weather balmy and not a drop of rain except on the last day. Even at the high altitudes of the Matterhorn viewing stations, we did not need our heavy jacket or scarves and instead posed for pictures in our regular clothes as we basked in the sun.
Where to begin? At the beginning where it all started, at Zurich airport. But wait! Shankar and I were able to sneak in two days ahead and enjoy the meadows and cow bells! We arrived at Zurich, stowed our big suitcases in the baggage storage and took a train to Appenzell, to the north and east of the city. He had planned all this to fulfill my dream of just staying for 24 hours in the Swiss countryside. Knowing the European train systems, our adventure went smoothly and after taking a two hour ride with one change we landed up in Appenzell, a small town close to Zurich. Out hotel had arranged for a van to pick us up from the train station and we were surprised to find the hotel to be on a hill, about 15 minutes away from the small town. It was a comfy old Inn but very clean and the people were very friendly. I had planned on having instant upma and poha for dinner, but they talked us into enjoying the restaurant where they promised to make vegetarian soup and cheese fondue! As you can see in the picture, it was amazing as was the ice cream desert that followed.   

Fondue!

Desert

The time spent in Appenzell and going up nearby Ebenalp by cable car is the dream of a lifetime that will always remain with me. We also learnt that each property owner had to keep his hillside lawn mowed and that’s what made the meadows and Switzerland so beautiful! Of course cows also helped! The view from Ebenalp was spectacular and we witnessed some hang gliders!

Zurich and Lucerne

We joined the group at the airport the next day (by catching another train from our Zurich overnight hotel) and it was all smooth after we had picked up our main luggage. We had all been allotted a very large and comfy bus and our luggage stowed very easily underneath in the spacious bus and the best part was that we had this bus and driver till the last day. Well, having the same driver was maybe not the best part, but more on that later. For the present we were on our way to do a quick bus tour of Zurich and head for Lucerne for lunch. Another small group of ours had come a day ahead and they had enjoyed the sights of Zurich.

We were all hungry and ready for the Indian lunch and throughout Switzerland, we were very happy with the Indian restaurants. They were all very clean, organized and the food was delicious and plentiful. The fact that we lived on panneer, alu and rice had to be faced as the menu hardly ever changed (we requested and got paalak a few times and a questionable chaat once but dosa and idlis were a distant dream that only return home or visit to Edison could take care of!) No matter, we did justice to the food offered and it fuelled us for our almost 5 miles of walking everyday! We loved the yogurt that was plentiful and delicious.

Famous wooden bridge

Beautiful Swans

At Lucerne we had two nights as we did at most of our stops, so we had a leisurely view of the lake with its breathtaking scenery and lovely swans. We got our opportunity to actually ride a boat on it the next day to reach the starting point of Mt. Pilatus. Here we took our first cog wheel train up the mountain. The tourist department is so well organized, they had groups on the side away from the main lines and gave us priority.

The train easily tackled the steep hillside and as we made our way up on that beautiful sunny day, every fiber in our body thanked the powers that be for putting us in that place at that perfect time with views that put a stop to all our random thoughts and worries. This thoughtlessness persisted throughout our tour making it all spiritual and fun at the same time! We returned by cable car and had a shorter bus ride back to Lucerne. The old wood bridge in Lucerne was a big attraction and we happily traversed it by foot learning about its history. Our group had only 16 people so that added to the camaraderie and familiarity. The infusion of “young blood” with the presence of Chitra and KK, rejuvenated us plus Chitra was ever willing to make calls to restaurants and tackle some of the queries in flawless Hindi and a charming attitude that won everyone over. That evening we had another boat ride, this time with commentary ear phones pointing out important buildings and castles on shore.

Rhine Falls and Black Forest region

Coffee was expensive all over and not up to par. But we were attracted like bees to honey whenever we encountered chocolate. We visited one shop on the way out of Lucerne, unfortunately a bit late for its tour but the café and store was open for us to browse and buy. The hot chocolate was unique, a mug of hot milk with a rod of chocolate that you stir in. Yummy! Bright and early the next morning we were heading to Rhine Falls, considered one of the most powerful falls in Europe. Though the height was not much where we viewed it, the thunderous cascade of water more than made up for it. We could also walk down a built up trail or take a glass elevator to very close to the water and view the amazing rock formations that the water had etched in the middle of the water. Only the picture attached can describe it! On to Titisee Lake and the region of the Cuckoo clocks. Though exclusive stores seemed to be less now, many shoppers still showed a lot of interest in this ancient clock making art. The lake was placid and lovely too and we had a fusion lunch of burgers and pulao and walked around the tourist locations.

Jungfrau, a Palace of Ice

That night we reached Grindelwald and had a welcome spaghetti dinner at Bebees! The sauce made from fresh tomatoes and red peppers was delectable. Fondue was ordered for tasting too but alas we were too late for the other shops. The inn at Grindelwald was considerably away from the small town and up a small mountain. This time the Inn had character (some commented the bathroom was bigger than the bedroom!) But the views of the mountains and the village on the green slopes in the distance more than made up for any shortcomings. We had our own balcony and in addition could go for a walk in the morning and breathe in the fresh mountain air.
Talking about mountains, Switzerland is full of them and to our benefit we were scheduled to visit three of the most famous ones. Mount Pilatus we had already seen and Jungfrau Joch (the young woman mountain) and the renowned Matterhorn were on our list. Jungfrau often referred to as the top of Europe was at an elevation of over 11,000 feet. Our train left from Grindelwald for a two hour ride and we had two changes at Lauterbrunnen and Klein Scheidegg.

Conquering Jung Frau!

Ice cave and sculptures

Snow outside

The ample windows of the trains let us take lovely pictures, see the scenery and also the few hikers. As we ascended the scene became more wintery with large tracts of snow akin to glaciers flowing downward. Later I found out that Aletsch glacier is Europe’s largest. At the top it was a bit commercial but we had to look past the hordes of tourists and enjoy nature. We were right away ushered away to eat lunch at Bollywood restaurant, which was geared to serve huge batches of mainly Indian tourists from all parts of the world. As expected food was so so. But the views were great! At a distance we could see the adventurous ones trying their hand at winter sports in a flat area. Snow is a big attraction for those from tropical countries like India. Not us! We did go around the cave ice palace with its animal sculptures of ice and were rudely shocked to find the floor too was made of ice! Who could afford a fall at our age? Thankfully we all made it thru okay, partly due to the single railing running all along the exhibit wall to which we held on for dear life! The ever present Lindt shop had some displays as well. Some of us also ventured outside to take a picture on the snow with the Swiss flag and caught a glimpse of the scientific lab building, a popular ID of the great Jungfrau.

Interlaken and Yash Chopra Statue
Our driver did us a favor and showed us a bit of Interlaken, famed for the Bollywood movies. We were on the quest for Yash Chopra’s statue with which the town had honored him and accidentally ran into it outside a casino with beautiful grounds. Seeing a crowd of Indians there was a sure sign! He had been made a honorary citizen of the town. Interlaken means two lakes with the town in between!

The lakes ran for miles on either side and I suppose an aerial view would have been better but we had a good time stopping at one shore briefly. That night the dinner was a big disappointment. Our Golden India restaurant had two branches and we were at the wrong one. After much debating we ended up at the right one only to be served veggie burgers! We were also given no soft drink and on top of it an argument that we were served free water.

Zermatt — A Traffic Free Town

The arrival in Zermatt was a pleasant half a day of train travel. Firstly we said goodbye to our coach for the time being. We sent our big suitcases ahead and packed a small one for Zermatt for this was the famed town with no traffic or vehicles on the street, except a few mini golf cart like transport.

Our train was from Interlaken, this time a long wait. However the surrounding hills were so pretty, dotted with Swiss homes, that we whiled away time taking pictures. As before, the train seats were comfortable and clean and with the two train changes at Berna and Visp, we were at our destination well within daylight hours. Zermatt was a pretty town with one main street and our luxurious Hotel Schweizerhof was on it.

Zermatt

Enjoying Pina Colada

Swiss Chocolate Making

We walked from the station and some of us did lunch on our own. The restaurant we visited (we were hankering for pizza!) insisted that each person eats a full pie. They would not let us order larger pizzas to share! Really strange! Was it to fatten us or fatten their wallets? For the dinner we had a walk up a lot of steps to a small hilltop and were served hot soup, mashed potatoes au gratin and delicious green beans. I the desert was a flan type of custard. The word strudel, served the next day, became a dreaded word as we made our way through Austria, Budapest and Prague, but more on that later! Everyone enjoyed the two days in Zermatt, walking around, shopping at the stores and buying watches and souvenirs. It was the leisure time we were craving and this time we got it! In the evening we relaxed in the lounge enjoying a pina colada, virgin of course!

Our group at Matterhorn

The famous peak

Visit to Matterhorn

The visit to the Matterhorn was icing on the cake though to our regret no one ever gave us cake for desert! At breakfast, our tour leader Lakshmi showed us a gold tinged sunrise picture of famous Matterhorn mountain peak from her room window to whet our appetite. Again the cog wheel train ride was amazing, taking us through rugged mountains and meadows, pine trees and waterfalls, the vistas always a little different from the last ride. The train made several stops for hikers to get off or on. At one high point the clouds were covering up the view but when we reached the destination, we were above the clouds, the sun burst out, it was crystal clear! The higher we got, the more the variety with views of glaciers, mountain peaks and fluffy clouds. We got the most amazing first glimpse of the famed Matterhorn at Gornergrat where we alighted. We were not on it but could get a great view of it. As mountains go, it can rank in the top ten in the world so far as leaving a lasting impression, my opinion. The sea of clouds below was like “deva loka” (abode of gods) as they sometimes depict in Bollywood movies! We had plenty of leisure time to wander around, climb to higher view points, admire the mars-like terrain – in particular a small cobalt blue lake forming a tiny crater in the rocky ridges.

We could go back to the hotel on any train. I think the Matterhorn experience outdid the Jungfrau, for the sheer naturalness and lack of commercial gimmicks. Again, my opinion!

So far the visit was going beautifully for most of us. Unfortunately, Kamakshi encountered some knee and leg pain problems right after the plane journey into Zurich and by the time we were in Lucerne she was in a lot of pain, even thinking of cancelling rest of the trip and going back. Fortunately she made it through with ice compresses and Advil, but had to sit in the bus and miss many walking parts of the trip. Later in the tour Lakshmi also had leg pain and had to be careful. At Zermatt we were joined by Indu and Gopal and that further enlivened our group.
So this was the first part of our trip and turned out to be fan…tas…tic!! Switzerland lived up to its fame and no one was disappointed. Forthcoming was our Glacier Express all day train ride, re-uniting at St. Moritz with our bus, luggage and driver, seeing parts of Austria, shopping like crazy and making Swarovski’s stock go up, going into the fabulous cities of Buda and Pest, making a pit stop at Bratislava and finding that Nehru and Indra Gandhi had been there before us! Ah, but we need details and pictures, don’t we? So stay tuned for the second part on our continuing adventure tour.

Visit to Maui and Kauai, Hawaii

February 2019

I might have mentioned this in my last report on Hawaii, it was really refreshing to find original Hawaiian names for all regions and streets. Most beaches, even if owned by hotels, were accessible to locals and tourists. The weather variations in this group of islands is so common that one part could be drenched in rain for many months of the year and others regions could be parched. The Haleakela volcano region at 10,000 feet is said to have a moonlike feeling with the crater basin and surroundings having an other worldly feel to it.
As for food in Hawaii, most restaurants specialised in seafood. Poi, a taro root was also popular, in fact it is the first solid food given to babies here. Palm trees, plenty of banana plants happily exist close to areas that had woods of pines or similar evergreens, an odd sight indeed.

After bidding goodbye to Maui we caught the short flight to Kauai. We had decided on visiting only two islands and make it enjoyable for ourselves. The flight was very pleasant with views of blue ocean dotted with green islands. Kauai is also known as the Garden Isle and on our drive to our resort from Lihue airport on the eastern part of the island to the north, we could see how unspoilt it was. Very rarely did we see any big stores, malls or shopping plazas and these we were told were limited to the southern end of the island. The population was also very low. We had booked at a resort this time and it did not disappoint. Although it did not have access to the beach being perched on a cliff, they did have a free van service to transport people to another resort with a beach and the kids made good use of it on several occasions. The views more than made up for this deficiency. Got to hand it to my savvy daughter to get our rooms changed from ground floor to a room with a balcony and view! Situated right next to a golf course with the blue ocean in the background, all one needed to do was sit out on the balcony and soak in the scene.

One of the Oldest Inhabited Hawaiian Island   

It is one of the oldest of the inhabited islands. The beaches have lava rocks from volcanoes now dormant . The waves, we were told could go from placid to monstrous making it a good destination for pro surfers. Many parts, including the Napali coast is approachable only by boat or helicopter. Of course Kauai earned its fame after the filming of the realistic Dinosaur movie, Jurassic Park and we were able to view the famous waterfall where the helicopter hovers before landing for all that impossible adventure! As for that coast, it is a miracle of nature, the mountains in folds as if it was a fabric and some of it so deep that helicopters can go right into it!

The famous  Iraivan temple of Kauai 
As the children kept busy relaxing and participating in some of the group activities or swimming in the large pool, we decided to head out the next day to see the famous Iraivan Temple, also known as Kauai’s Hindu monastery. It has been around since 1970 and thriving. Its founder was Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami also known as Gurudeva who, though of American origin, studied spirituality extensively in South India and founded this order. Presently Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, also of American origin, is in charge of running the monastery. Shankar and I set up an appointment by email to meet Satguru and had a pleasant half hour session with him during our visit.

Om Pool

Lush tropical setting

The lush tropical property of the temple and its Om pool

The property owned by the monastery is an extensive 382 acres and a beautiful woodland complete with exotic flora and fauna and a small waterfall and stream at the foot of an extinct volcano. The monks residing here from many parts of the world are all male although the female volunteers come in during the day to guide the visitors who flock to see the pristine property and the two beautiful temples, one yet to be completed. The Kadavul temple, dedicated to Lord Ganesha and other deities, starts its morning puja at 5.30 a.m. A really large 39 inch tall spatika (transparent crystal) lingam is revered with abhisheka and slokas. This was found naturally on American soil and gifted to the temple. It will later be moved to the main temple now under construction. As in other south Indian temples, a large Nandi of black granite keeps vigil for the beautiful Lord Shiva in the form of a massive panchaloka metal Nataraja whose size and beauty takes one’s breath away. The monks also publish a high level spiritual publication incorporating Hindu religion and philosophy known as Hinduism Today. The monks grow food (given Hawaii’s beautiful climate, this is all year around one presumes), host pilgrims, guide seekers and maintain temple areas, maintain websites and publish.

The new temple, the Iraivan temple itself is being built over an extended time according to the shilpa sastras and hand carved inch by inch. Some of the sculptings are done in India. A special feature is many sayings from scriptures like Bhagavad Gita being carved on all its sides for posterity to live with timeless principles. The purpose of its slow completion is explained as building it for future generations, a solid structure which will fulfill its purpose with spiritual messages. But progress is visible in the work as the shilpis from India chip away even as visitors wander around. Gold leaf is already on its traditional domes, lending it a shimmering touch. The pavilion, open to three sides is a hallmark of peace amidst the jungle setting. Of notable mention is the bamboo forest and the Rudraksha trees grove, many plants and trees like bilva, neem, amla and sandalwood cultivated to provide the variety and sacredness to the property and complete the Indian touch.

In its gardens surrounding the temple, there are beautiful statues, notable of which is Dakshinamurthy, the south facing incarnation of Shiva, the original teacher who conveys wisdom through silence. In the gardens also are the original stone formation of lingas which initially inspired the building of the temple.

Morning Walks

Shankar and I found a beautiful path for our daily morning walk. We walked along another golf course, this time with mountains for the backdrop. Of course our walking had to be interrupted by picture taking sessions as the scenery was too good! Along the way we admired the flowering hedges and the plants that just thrived in the Hawaiian soil and weather.

Kauai did lack in Indian restaurants in the area where we were housed, but the ice cream store nearby more than made up for it! Fortunately we discovered it only two days before departure after eating at a delectable Italian restaurant. The freshly made giant waffle cones dipped in dark chocolate housed the creamiest ice cream in mouth watering flavors. We ate and we promptly went back the next day to ingest thousands more calories, but no one was counting.

Thrilling Helicopter Ride
The highlight of the visit for the grown ups was the thrilling helicopter ride. We have been on other rides before but this one was the most comprehensive, covering the entire island and taking us to such remote mountaintops where the heart starts pounding just thinking of “what if?” But the pilots were super experts besides being great commentators. The island is very mountainous and went over forests and mountains and flew past the beautiful waterfalls featured in the Jurassic Park. The Napali coast was the most beautiful with green mountains in folds, touched with red foliage and the sun shining on the blue blue seas where whales were frolicking.
So to conclude, our glimpse of Hawaii was fascinating, still an unspoilt gem that is a part of the developed USA. The journey may be long, but who among us has not flown to India or the Far East? The destination is surely worth the travel. Thanks family for making this happen!

September 2017

Visit to Sicily and  Italy, Part 2

Reggio Calabria, Long Boardwalk

Our first stop in mainland Southern Italy was Reggio Calabria. Right on the ocean, it appears to be a tourist spot developed over the centuries. We went straight for lunch and enjoyed a hot risotto with pumpkin. Similar to our khichdi or pongal, it was an enjoyable change from pasta. The restaurant was a very picturesque setting and with our hunger satisfied, we all set about taking group photos in the landscaped gardens by the ocean.
Our guide met us and took us for a long walk on the promenade which was maintained in great condition. It had all been re-built after a major earthquake in 1908. One could either walk on the higher level or right by the ocean. Both afforded lovely views. However, our guide did not give us the option of lingering. We walked all the way to the end and then branched off into the town to see the cathedral from outside. All stores were closed for the afternoon, so we walked back to the hotel, checked in and rested, vowing to come back for evening views and cappuccino. The Athena statue was inspiration enough to sit on the steps and just talk or be silent. We gazed out to the sea as so many eyes must have over the centuries and marvelled at the creation of that unseen hand as well as talented humans.

Lunch in a Large Cave
We headed next morning for Matera, a long drive but extremely pleasant with pastoral scenery again. We stopped by a fruit stand as the bus filled up on gas and took pics of the long strands of red peppers. We had finally learnt the name of red pepper, pepperoncino, so essential for spicing up our food! Matera was a unique town and we had lunch actually in a cave! Not a tiny pokey one, but huge with several levels. Just the approach was so unique, down steep steps but with a view to die for! The Sassi or old town was spread out below us. It was one time no one complained about how many steps we had to climb. The restaurant food was great, more so the bundles of cheese they brought out in generous servings. If one ate all of it, it would be the cholesterol quota for the whole year, but seriously, the taste was unbelievable, mild like fresh mozzarella, we did not find out the intricacies of the names. Caves which were once the residences of the poor, were now taken over by restaurants and hotels. The famous Alberobello region of Italy is still almost as it was hundreds of years ago.

Grotto Castellana

The next morning was a day of miraculous sights, natural and man made. We were taken to Grotto Castellana, a humongous underground region of stalagmites and stalactites. Most of us have seen Luray Caverns in Virginia and many other such wonders, but never have I seen anything so big, so varied and in such beautiful colors. The trek inside, almost two hours, had to be made through painstakingly small paths (talk about how hard it must have been to make it tourist safe), often bending our heads and stepping gingerly on slippery floors. But it was totally worth it. The formations, along the three plus miles, sometimes like a Ganesha, sometimes like the Madonna and baby Jesus, here a cathedral, there some curtains of alabaster with perfect folds! Words are not adequate to describe this must see wonder. Formations were big and small, in pure white or pastel shades. Towards the end, just before we turned back, we saw the lovely cathedral formation in pure white.

The Unique Truli Homes

The next attraction to look forward to were the “Truli” the plural of “Trulo” which are a type of dwelling. Apparently these have been around since the 15th Century and are very cleverly constructed without any mortar. They are slabs of flat limestones put together in layers that defied natural disasters. They could also be easily dismantled and moved to other locations in case the feudal system demanded too much tax. There were hundreds of them, all still in good condition with people living in them or using them as hotels and restaurants. No longer considered a poor man’s property, they go for top Euros. Sometimes two or more are joined together to provide for bigger living quarters and we were able to see inside one and meet an authentic Italian family. Since 1994 it is a Unesco site and they even designed a church in the village using the Truli architecture to fit in. The town too was strategically located on a hill affording excellent views both of the Truli and the other dwellings, piled up close together.

The Alberobello Region

Our hotel in Alberobello, a small one had a nice location close to the city square with a cathedral and we could go on our own walk around. In fact the next morning there was a quick set up market with bags and other household items and the shoppers of our group had a free hand in striking some deals! That night was a bit sentimental as some of the group members were leaving. In fact, Pradeep, one the youngest members of our group, expressed eloquently his appreciation of his vacation with his parents and “friends” and said he enjoyed our company and the sights seen. Prema, Pradeep’s mom passed around some good wine. It was yet another chance to enjoy each other’s company over a leisurely homely dinner where the “Mom” of the manager had made delicious lemon tiramisu and other home baked goods.

We had seen lovely vineyards all along our drive and in fact a truck loaded with grapes had even given us free samples at a rest stop. But our visit to the wine tasting the next morning was somewhat of a let down as it was part of the town, nowhere scenic and just machinery and bottles of wine! Lunch was on our own and a pleasant change. We had pizza at a rest stop, but it was freshly made to order and with a thin crust. This avoided a two hour served meal! To save time, we headed straight for the Amalfi coast and skipped some towns scheduled in between. Before dark, we reached the famous Amalfi Coast, our luxury hotel in Vietri. The view did not disappoint and we enjoyed two days here, even having our food in the hotel. First and foremost we ordered capuchinos and sat on the patio overlooking the famous blue waters and the winding coastline where many movies had been filmed, including “Only You!” (which I happened to have seen on TV!) Then we laughed and thought of all the expressions with which to describe this scene so we could make other friends jealous! “A view to die for” won the competition!

Isle of Capri
The next day after enjoying our breakfast (did I mention Nutella was part of the breakfast menu and I had some everyday!) we headed on the short drive to the shore where we boarded our boats for the world famous Isle of Capri. The ride was pleasant and the island and ocean were scenic but it has probably lost some of the charm and romance associated with it in the bygone days. We were pointed out the place Jackie Kennedy stayed while on a vacation. We found it fairly commercial. What’s more, as soon as we landed, we were whisked away in another boat to see the Blue Grotto! This certainly was not an adventure for seniors as the seas were choppy and we had to anchor near the coast for over half and hour waiting for the rowboats. Once in them, we had to follow barked orders to lie down almost flat in the floor of the tiny boats, never mind that some had back and knee problems! Just do it!! Well, the entrance to the grotto was very small and while going in we had to be flat in order not to get scraped! Some almost lost their glasses. Once in, we could straighten up a bit and forget our discomfort in the few magical moments when the boatmen sang an Italian ditty and rowed in a circle while we admired the cool blueness of the water filled cave. We came out wishing we had done this, say 20 years earlier!

Ana Capri, Gorgeous Views

We then rode by bus to Ana Capri at the top of the island and saw the spectacular views. Back on the ship, we landed at Positano, another port with upscale stores. After more views, we were taken to our larger bus and instead of the boat, we rode on the very famous winding roads of the Amalfi coast, enjoying the ocean view. We just need to close our eyes and the picture unfolds, the bright sunshine, the blue waters with small ships and the amazing homes built on the sheer cliffs. We heard from our guide that 75 per cent of Italy is hills, the 75 miles of the Amalfi coast had over 3,300 hairpin bends and many long tunnels. Only local drivers were allowed to drive here.

Pompeii Ruins, Mt. Vesuvious
Heading toward Rome our tour had planned a stop at Pompeii near Naples. Just the name summons up old history, Julius Ceaser, Mark Anthony, Brutus etc. Not that they lived here, but the the volcanic eruption of the Vesuvius was of historical proportions in 79 AD spewing fire and ash. In the middle of the day everything went dark and there were loud noises and within moments a column of fire, smoke and ask started spewing from Mount Vesuvius. This could be seen from 28 miles away and wind blew and rained 13 feet of hot ash in the vicinity. Roofs collapsed and people were arrested in the positions they were in, instantly solidified by the boiling mud of over 500 degrees. Eventually a chance discovery while digging for water led to the finding of the buried city. The surprising part was not the eruption but the discovery of the sophisticated civilization of Pompepii. How the Romans lived was evident here, they had baths to avoid disease, amphitheaters for drama, running water, sewage, even spas with Carrara marbles still intact. The roads and high sidewalks were well planned, measured to allow their chariots with iron wheels to roll smoothly and people to walk and cross over safely. Everyone loved seeing the brick oven for pizza, probably the oldest our group had ever seen, just like it is today in many places in the US! Some things do not change! In the museum within the complex rested in a glass cases some actual victims, now preserved for the visitors to see.

We had a lunch every kid would have been happy with, pizza, speghetti, French Fries and Ice Cream, even the ketchup was so tasty! Top that off with some shopping for beads, volcanic rock souvenirs etc.,  put everyone in a happy mood. Then we headed for Rome. More pizza and this time we were served with a full mid-size pie each! Could not finish and could not take home either. Contrary to guide books saying “the food in Italy is not like Olive Garden”, we pretty much loved it all, especially our mini group’s dinner in Florence, more on that later.

Vatican City, Spectacular paintings on walls

The big day was coming up next morning, a visit to Vatican City. We rested and got ready early, following all the security protocol and being mindful of our possessions. It was rather crowded but we moved through the various halls smoothly, uneventfully. The paintings all around in every inch of wall space and ceiling were spectacular, unbelievable and awe inspiring, depicting beautiful humans and Gods and situations from religion and history. We could photograph everywhere except the beautiful Sistine Chapel. Michaelangelo’s talent that lives centuries after his efforts. We could have used a week, but all too soon we were propelled out by the crowd (not as bad as our Indian temples, we could linger a bit!!) We saw the window from which smoke comes out when a new Pope is elected, and the large square where people assemble on special holy days. Also we were able to see St. Peter’s Basilica. Each church and building so beautiful inside and out.

The Vatican square, Roman Forum and the Colosseum

Rome has so much to offer but we were doing it all in a day. So in the afternoon we set out to visit the ancient ruins of the Forum where political discussions would have taken place, now a cluster of columns, some upright, some on the ground. Still very impressive. Then there was the famous Colosseum. Though still at many levels, it is a ghost of its past glory, mainly because its good stones were stolen piece by piece we were told! We could see some re-construction, re-creation in the central area. The area beneath lay exposed, possibly where gladiators and beasts awaited their turn in the bygone eras. The Trevi fountain, more of a mini waterfall among the sculptures, provided our early evening entertainment, the streets nearby buzzing with activity. We also explored and found the Spanish Steps not too far away. After that it back to our bus and hotel, arrivederci Roma!

Some more fellow travellers departed and we did the last lap which was Siena, Florence and Pisa. We also drove through the Tuscany Valley, purported to be the most scenic region of Italy. The drive through was very pleasant, though in a other seasons, the view would have provided even more beauty. The rich and famous from all over the world owned villas here or rented them! The slim cypress trees added to the uniqueness. Everywhere the drivers were really good, they had a black box on the bus that recorded their speed, prompting them to be on best behavior!
Our lunch stop and first sight-seeing was in Siena. The word burnt sienna in a paint box comes from here, a brick like red baked by the sun. The Paleo horse race is also famous here,. In our brief walk along the ancient fort wall and into the small town, we saw two things that appealed to us. One was a square dedicated to Mother Teresa near the San Domenico Basilica. The Church was pretty with marble, gold and stained glass. The other was a 24 inch pizza! We had a long walk and spend a very pleasant hour or so in the city square surrounded by shops and restaurants. Of course gelato was a given. Then we drove on to Florence, one of the most memorable Italian towns. The night we arrived some of us were able to eat at Il Portico, an authentic Italian restaurant where we were served very nice vegetarian food. Marco and the staff even helped us to determine the quantity for our group of 12 and the chef served us roasted sweet onion on the house!

Siena and Florence, The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The next day we spent considerable amount of time in the town square and saw the famous Duomo. Many famous people had been baptised here and the decorated door to the baptism hall was beautiful. Michelangelo called it Heaven’s Door. A new façade had been put up in the 19th C. but the cathedral with its art and huge proportions outside was something we had never seen before. At the apex was a Virgin Mary with a flower. The marble was in three colors, complementing each other. Later walking around we went into a small church where Dante met his muse, Beatrice. Exploring the town more, we came upon the famous statues, especially notable being David, who I guess comes to be depicted as the most perfect looking human. But disappointment, these were not originals! Those were in a museum for which booking were done way ahead and we did not have the luxury of time. But even the copies were so good, talent is everywhere in Italy. Florence also proved to be the shoppers paradise where almost everybody bought leather handbags.

View of Florence city and the Piazza with leaning tower of Pisa

On our way to Pisa we stopped by the Michaelangelo Square which sported another statue of David and a view of great vistas of the town below. The drive to Pisa was good, but it was very close to sundown when we reached. Good that we made it because in that light, the leaning tower was just great! I had expected a rough stone structure, but its marble and intricacies blew my mind. My observation: the tower was peeping out from behind all the other beautiful cathedrals saying, “look at me”! We just sat there and admired it. Here was a building with character. It was more than a tall tower that was leaning but still intact and safe. After the Taj Mahal, it will rank second for me as far as marble edifices go! There was not time enough to climb it (though some rushed into it) but taking pictures on the outside was very nice. So was sitting on some nearby steps and admiring it while some others went shopping.
So ended our memorable trip, thanks to the organizers, we saw a lot and took fabulous photos which will bring back our sweet experiences and let us relive our travels.

 Visit to Sicily and Italy Part 1     

 September 2017

Our group with Lakshmi Travels has covered many, many destinations.   Each place surprised, delighted, educated and entertained us, but none more than Italy.   It had a combination of all the adventurous elements plus pure pleasure like fabulous views,  pizza, cappuccinos and gelato!   Yes, we made good use of it all!   From the awe-inspiring cathedrals housed in sun drenched piazzas to the true blue oceans, from nature at its worst like Mt. Etna to the ancient ruins that told their own stories from the past, it was all a riotous run through time and space and now we are back, left to figure out what it was all about!  Two packed weeks of a well researched itinerary put together by Lakshmi for us exclusively!  Let me tell you, looking at your photos will not help much as every town had a gate, a cathedral and a piazza, as Shankar put it, a  GCP!   The only way to make sense is to take it from day one and try to relive our own special memories.

This time we were 28 people in our group, some old friends and a few new.   Coming from different directions, we met in Rome and caught our connecting flight to Palermo.   When we were picked up at the airport in a very large, luxurious bus with a friendly driver, we were happy to discover that we would be travelling in the same vehicle all through up to Rome, even crossing to the mainland on a ferry which would carry the bus.   We made it our second home for the next  two weeks, almost!  Palermo is an important city in Sicily.   We had  plans to visit several places in Sicily including the famous volcano, Mt. Etna.

 In Palermo

Our tour manager was Mr. Anil Edwin  who stayed with us throughout and the local guide in Palermo, Roberta.   She introduced us to the city by saying that the piazza in the Roman style was from 1874 and the main opera house was one of the biggest and best in the world. The city also got its name having a big port (pan-ormos).   It is a town set in the plains, surrounded by hills.   It has two main cathedrals.  She alerted us to the fact that the architecture style here is Norman combined with Arabian as Muslim talent also went into the design.  In the 9^th to 11^th centuries, there were 300 mosques in Palermo which were later changed to churches, some retaining vestiges of their heritage.   The two major structures actually compete with each other – one built by the Archbishop and a later more elaborate one in nearby Monreale by the king, who only accepted the supremacy of Jesus and not other Church authorities.  Located on a higher elevation and built over 20 years, inside it is decorated with 24 ct. gold and colored marble and shows subtle traces of Al Hambra Islamic art.  Virgin Mary holding the child and also a portrait of Jesus and painted wood ceilings are its hallmarks.   Later we checked out the other cathedral, simpler but with a huge organ and miracles depicted on its walls, stories from the Old Testament, including Noah’s Arc.

The guide briefly alluded to the Mafia as she gave our tour.   From what we could figure out, it had started as a group to help people from injustice but had evolved in a different direction.  As we drove through town,  the sharp eyed ones on the bus caught sight of a “Rasalakshmi Saree store” that led to a lively discussion of who the owners might be and indeed who shopped there!  We headed back to the hotel for free time and a few made it in time to take the Opera House  inside tour, it was fairly close to the hotel.   The rest, jet lagged,  rested, then headed out to get the first of the fabulous cappuccinos nearby.   We also walked over to check the view of some marble statues by night, quite a rare sight.

Views along the drive

Marsala was our next destination the following day.  It was a small town with a population of 85,000 and made famous by its gate entrance facing the sea from which Garibaldi came from Southern Italy and unified Sicily.  Besides the decorative gate, there was a lovely garden and museum with ficus trees .  Garibaldi’s memorabilia as well pictures of the soldiers who came with him were inside. We could also view some ancient Greek costumes.  We had a unique lunch with pasta in a creamy pistachio sauce and a very large plate of fried vegetables and rolls.   More on the food later, but suffice to say that the three or four leisurely courses at lunch each day set us back couple of hours on our sight seeing throughout Sicily!

Greek Ruins at Agrigento

We drove through the stark countryside (it had been a very dry rainless summer everywhere in Sicily and Italy) and yet the crops were thriving, mostly olives and grapes used for wine.  Our itinerary was mostly near the coastline as we drove around the island of Sicily and the frequent glimpses of the blue seas coupled with the delightfully sunny weather was a real treat. We were heading for the Greek ruins of Agrigento, known as the Valley of Temples dated between 510 and 430 BC.        They did not disappoint.   Even from a distance we could see the magnificent ruins situated on a small hilltop.   Located adjacent to each other, the first one we saw was the temple of Zeus and Hera, brother and sister from Greek mythology who married each other.  This edifice was not very well preserved,  though huge.  Engineers had declared it to be a marvel of mathematics and symmetry. Only men were allowed inside the temple in the Greek period and animal sacrifice was common.

As we walked along after getting a sneak peak of the town below and the ocean in the distance, we could see what our guide described as areas where coffins had been lodged on the walls where sometimes whole families were “buried”.   Some even had a view having portions that had broken down, “a coffin with a view” as our guide joked.  It was a long walk in the hot sun, but totally worth it!   Especially the Temple of Concorde that was intact with minimal damage – in the glow of the late afternoon, it stood majestic and impressive, a testimony to the engineering skills of its ancient builders.  Some structures, such as this one,  were later used as Churches and were restored in later centuries. Not any more, in fact no one could go inside.

Wholesome Food, Delicious Cannolis

That night at our hotel, we were served eggplant parmigiana, but to the delight of vegans and those looking for low calories, it had no bread or cheese!   Red sauce was also rare in these parts of Sicily.  The cannoli we had somewhere for desert were so delicate and scrumptious, we threw caution to the winds and just ate it all!  Such authentic, wholesome food.   Eggplant was the star of the show everywhere as our group was all vegetarian!

Siracusa

The drive over every mile of Italy was so scenic, full of new sights around every bend, gently rolling hills, neatly laid out  vineyards, now covered in plastic to prevent birds from nibbling the almost ready- to- harvest grapes.  However, as in many other places we have visited previously, the human population seems to be limited to cities.   In the countryside, we could barely see adults, leave alone children or animals.   Anytime someone sighted a human, there was much excitement on our bus.  At our next destination, Siracusa, lunch was at an old restaurant with character.   Wine casks and bottles lined the walls.   We were served salad and spaghetti, topped off with local grapes.   Gave us a chance to go out and taste the gelato in the market place in so many flavors.  It was amazing how the standard of gelato in all of Sicily and Italy was consistently high  though the price varied.   Pistachio was by far the top flavor with our group, with variations of chocolate or hazelnut coming in second!

Then we took a walking tour of the town and were shown a cathedral that was converted from a Greek temple with art work by a famous artist.  I think this town was Siracusa,  quite magnificent with its squares and cathedrals.  The entire square was so huge, stretching over a vast area, it was a pleasure to just be there on that sun- drenched day,  quintessential Italy!

Mt. Etna, Famous Volcano

We stayed at the luxurious Hilton Naxos Giardini  hotel in Taormina and were happy with the lobby and rooms.   Located in the  Taormina Riviera area, it was on the beach and we did make some brief visits to walk along the water, but the sand was so coarse and full of pebbles!   In the evening, we sat by the deserted pool enjoying the ambiance, taking pictures and generally making the most of the free time and company.  Early next morning we left for Mt. Etna, one of the highlights of the Sicily visit.   It was about a two hour ride up the mountain with hairpin bends.   But the drivers here are so good, we had no moments of fear.   After the bus dropped us off at 6,200 ft. elevation, it was the usual wait for the rest rooms.   Believe it or not, this restaurant had only one with a line that snaked out for miles.  That set us back almost an hour and prevented us from taking the tour of the immediately located dormant volcano.   We were haphazardly moved into lines that took us to the cable car ride reaching 8,200 ft.  Our group got split up!  Other countries should learn tourist organization from the US.   We also spent our spare change in Italy by often paying for rest rooms that charged a Euro or 50 cents  in many places.

Mt. Etna did not disappoint.   The cable car (unfortunately with tinted windows) took us close to miles of solidified black lava.   For some reason the authorities were constantly smoothing out these rocks with earth moving equipment.   On reaching the top, we took 4 x 4 bus rides to a higher elevation of 9,600 ft. and walked up the incline toward a secondary crater.   It was super windy on top with grit blowing in our faces.   The slopes were slippery as well.   In the interest of safety, I did not make it to the rim of the volcano though some in our group did.  But what we saw was unique and one of a kind experience.

From a distance we had seen the lovely  tranquil views and we also saw this aspect of nature that has been very destructive in the past.   The active volcano had spewed less than a year ago and in 2001 the big eruption had destroyed the cable  lift chairs and many structures nearby.   Still it was a popular tourist destination, an experience to be remembered.  We had our lunch right there. Next, as we drove on, must confess some of us were lazy to avail of the opportunity to walk down to the ancient stadium as the afternoon sun was beating down too.   It was reported later to be beautiful with view of Mt Etna and the ocean in the distance. Even now it is used by the local people for concerts.   Indulged in some little shopping for souvenirs instead and tasted the lovely fresh squeezed orange juice of the region.

After a somewhat tense day, we had ample time to relax over dinner at the hotel.     We decided to have an exclusive ladies table and let down our inhibitions and giggled like schoolgirls!   One interested Italian waiter, also gauging our mood, light-heartedly teased some of the ladies and we in turn used the chance to totally rag the chosen ones, but it was all in fun and well taken!  Italians are not one for delicacy, the waiter grabbed our plates and threw the bread down on the tablecloths (all with a smile) so he could serve the next course.   Another observation, in Italy you have to literally beg for a bread plate, butter or olive oil!  As for crushed red pepper, we got smart and bought our own!  Thanks Saroja, for supplying the whole group!  I could even bring some home.  We loved the moon shaped small plates that took up less room and fitted in with our large plates.

Taormina Ocean Views

Taormina was the last stay- over on our tour of Sicily before we had the exciting ride on a boat that transferred our bus itself across the straight of Messina!  So we had gone all around Sicily, covered the main attractions, seen the Tyrrhenian Sea on the North, Mediterranean to the West and South, and the Ionian sea on the East!  On to Reggio Calabria on the mainland of Italy, the southernmost tip of the boot toe shape of Italy!  While our bus was left on the lower level along with other vehicles, we went up on the open decks and enjoyed the beautiful views and the robust sea breeze.  The ride was not very long and soon we boarded our bus and drove right out.  If we had been impressed by Sicily, the mainland of Italy far surpassed it and as we drove and covered the miles, all the way to Rome and some of us further to Siena, Florence and Pisa, we just marveled at how much was packed away by way of beauty and variety in this small country, and we did not even see everything that could be seen!

Visit to China, Tibet and Japan

Stark Tibet scenery

Before the Climb

September/October 2016

An Adventure Getting there!

It is midnight.   My husband and I are stranded at a small town China airport.  No one speaks English.   Slowly the crowd is dispersing.   He goes inside the airport again to enquire while I am standing alone out there with four suitcases.   It did not hit me then, but it may have been a situation with scary consequences.   I had full faith in Chinese people.  In fact the young man sitting with us on the plane had been nice enough to let us borrow his phone as we did not have a local one.  But their police?  Maybe not!   Especially when I did not know a word of the language.

Anyway, the story that had started to spin out at Shanghai did end on a happy note and we were able to visit Lhasa after all.  But the starting had the signs of safe travel all gone wrong due to a small error.   We had completed the China part of our long travels in the Far East and were excited to go to Tibet.   Reaching Shanghai airport after breakfast, I found that during check- in I was rejected because my name, first name, had been spelt wrong on the visa list held by our group leader.   I had wondered at a young age why my name had so many “a’s” in it!   So some kind Chinese visa person decided to leave out one! Unfortunately, it did not match my passport.   The last name was fine, the passport number was fine on the list, but not my first name.  I had made it through other local flights with the same spelling on my boarding card, but when it came to Tibet, it was another story!  Everyone else checked in, our group leader used every last resource to convince the airport authorities but to no avail.   She herself had to run at the last minute to catch the flight and escort the rest of the group while me and my husband (so kind of him to stay with me!) were left behind.  Of course she had left us in the able hands of the local Chinese guide.   She got in touch with her superiors, took us back to the hotel, got us back our old room and got busy on the phone trying to straighten out the problem.

In a very short while we were headed back to the airport, armed with a new visa list, got upgraded seats and headed for Chengdu to get our connecting flight to Lhasa.  At Chengdu Thomas Cook had again arranged for a local agent to meet us and take care of us.  Got on board the 2 hour flight to Lhasa:  we were almost about to land, the weather seemed fine, but suddenly the announcement came that the plane was returning to Chengdu!  That’s when we were at a loss as to what to do.   They announced some gate number to wait for a bus that would take us to a hotel, but failed to mention that it was on a different level.  We barely understood!  Eventually it was all God’s grace that Shankar found some English speaking seminar attendees who had just landed, they took him to an airline official who, though not so conversant in English, understood the situation.   Imagine this, he personally took us and our luggage in his car to the hotel 15 mins away as all the buses had left.   We reached at 1 a.m. got a free room, caught the bus again at 4 a.m. and came back to the airport.   All  this time the other passengers had a nonchalant attitude, like they did this every other week!   Turns out the air base at Lhasa is also used by the army and their exercises get priority.  They did run two full planes and we got our seats.   What an adventure!  When it comes to Tibet, the Chinese authorities are extremely strict.   Every visitor must travel with a recognized group with valid visa and the name spelt correctly!

Since we made our second flight in the morning instead of night, we got excellent views of the snow clad mountain peaks and even took some pictures from the plane window.   Of course we had to keep our fingers crossed till we were safely out of the airport and in our tour van!    When we got to Lhasa we  joined our group straight for sight-seeing!   They were lucky to have a day to acclimatize, but we did okay.   The high altitude medicine we were  taking, seemed to work well and we were able to handle the steep climbs on day one.   We did get a very warm welcome from the rest of the group who were waiting outside our first destination, Potala Palace.

The Fabulous Potala Palace

The long drive into town from the airport had given us a glimpse of the stark beauty of the region.  We were surrounded by mountains on all sides with sparse vegetation.  Just rocky peaks, not much of a population or farming activity around.   The small town of Lhasa itself, in contrast, was lively and colorful.   The amount of religious activity going on here is amazing.   One would think that everything would be suppressed!   But no, it is in full swing.   In fact basically all we saw was Buddhist temples and monasteries.  The crowning glory of course is the Potala Palace.  It is worth going to Lhasa just to see this wonder.

  Since the dawn of the 7^th Century, this had been the winter residence  of the Dalai Lamas as well as the royalty of the area.   In 1959 all this came to an end when China took it over as its autonomous region and the present Dalai Lama fled to India and sought asylum.  In the past, part of the palace had been handed over for religious activities as expansion continued over the centuries.   It is a gorgeous red, white and yellow huge building complex, perched on a high stony hill, the Red Mountain,  in  the center of Lhasa.  The altitude was stated to be 3,700 meters. The climb was quite steep but slowly most of us were able to make it up the steps and ramps.   All along we got a grand view of the town below.  Inside the building itself it was amazing, many parts of it preserved over the centuries.  We had to negotiate small steep steps with low ceilings and uneven floors.   No photography was allowed inside.   We actually saw the room where the present Dalai Lama prayed and slept, his private quarters. As we walked the marked route, we saw many beautiful gold and other precious stone encrusted Buddhas and statues of spiritual leaders, scrolls, historical documents all well preserved, sculptures of jade, objects of gold and silver.   It was a veritable museum which we covered in silence and reverence.

After the Climb

View of Square below

We had more sight seeing scheduled that day.  We checked out Barkhor Street, surrounding the Jokhang temple.  All this was reminiscent of India, crowded, small shops, but clean streets.   The spiritual aspect was evident, we saw some people doing an offering by circumambulating a temple with “shashtanga namaskarams” (full length prostrations).   The only difference here as compared to India was that they had small wooden pads in their hands so as not to get scratched.   I have heard this kind of offering being done even around Kailash mountain by the  local people.    Our guide told us that  the Chinese government take-over had alleviated poverty to some extent.  Previously only monasteries provided education to the poor, but now children can get free schooling and even go to mainland China for further education.  They learn both Tibetan language and Mandarin.  Vegetables are grown in the greenhouses.  They beat the cold in rural areas by housing  animals in the lower level as they produce natural heat!   Solar heaters are popular  here in Lhasa also to warm up water and even cook rice.  Still, the winters must be rough on the people.

  After a nice dinner at a Tibetan/Indian restaurant, we went to our hotel for some well deserved rest.   The hotel was a big surprise with emphasis on the word BIG!   It was huge.   Newly built, it is next to a conference center.   In fact we needed ten extra minutes just to leave our rooms, cross the huge lobby and reach our bus outside.   It had great modern fittings, fabulous floors and ceilings and even a hot tub in the room, not to mention a built in- heater which would probably be very nice in the cold months, but served us for drying washed clothes!   This is the Inter Continental hotel of Lhasa.

Local Animals and Cute Children and Mo Mos!

The next day was more leisurely. We visited the a small monastery in the nearby mountain range,  not too far from where we stayed.   It was so very relaxing to walk around and see children women and dogs all around and giving us friendly poses for pictures.  We even saw two yaks!   Yak fat is used for burning lamps in temples and no doubt used in the cuisine as well.   Set amidst the mountains, it was a picture of serenity.  Everything was natural, including the bathroom, cleansed by a running mountain stream!  It was our group leader, Ameeta”s  birthday and we celebrated by lighting candles in the monastery and singing Om Jai Jagadisha Hare.  She loves animals and had her fill of puppies and kittens who were being fed like royalty by the monks.   Later we had lunch at a five star hotel restaurant and one of our popular co-travelers, Urmila, insisted on paying  for the cake we had ordered and among other things we tasted some well made vegetarian mo-mos or dim sums or in more familiar terms, dumplings!  Other highlights were tomato soup, rice with saffron and vegetables, sautéed veggies like corn and cauliflower and French fries!  Quite a feast!

Finally we were taken to see old world Tibet in the center of town, a huge complex with temples,  parks and a  town square.   We walked around a lot, entering several small temples, admiring the golden wheel of dharma with a deer on either side.  The legend is that when Shakya Muni gave his discourses, even deer would come and sit. We were surprised to see many Indian goddesses like Sarasvati and Parvati being venerated along with Buddhas.  Saw a couple in their wedding finery!   The area provided us with some local shopping, like good luck charms.   The lovely red Chinese lanterns added to the festive atmosphere.    The shopkeepers were nice, often selling imported items from neighboring countries and quite willing to satisfy our urge to bargain!

Lovely temples and a Grand hotel

Later at dinner at the hotel, we were served local cuisine that would take getting used to, we exchanged e-mails and took more pictures.   Some of the group was going back, other new travelers were joining us in Japan.    But we had forged unforgettable memories with each other and the magical land of Tibet, so high, so far away and a place that had only existed in imagination for us,  till now.

Visit to China, Tibet and Japan

Sep/Oct 2016

Saying goodbye to the memorable Longmen Caves, we turned our attention to the next destination, Xian, or rather focused on getting on and off another fast train!   Upon reaching our destination our first visit was to the Wild Goose pavilion.  Do you recall that there are some Buddhists that are not vegetarian?   Well, the legend here corroborates that.   There was a time when a Hinayana Buddhist sect was starving and desperate for food.   A group of geese was flying overhead and one goose fell down dead near the monks.   They took it as a sign that it was all right to eat meat and the tradition was thus started.

Our local guide told us that the Wild Goose pavilion with its old style beauty was also a very popular tourist attraction in Xian after the Terracotta warriors.  The tall pagoda which we viewed lighted up at night as well as during the day, was quite imposing.     Nearby a garden featuring two camels sculpted out of the plants and some kite sellers also attracted us.   The town itself was of great historical significance with its 14 dynasties, Qing to Qin we were told.   China had been very fragmented before the intelligent emperors unified it, starting with the first one who was  Qin Shi Huang.  Among the great practices initiated were that of currency, measurement, script and seals and the Great Wall was also started during this time.  His tomb took 37 years to build.  In ancient China, the afterlife was equally important.  It was camouflaged as a hillock.   Later jeweler, jade, concubines and guards were all found buried with him!  Terra Cotta warriors stood guard near his tomb. I had ventured a guess in my mind that the soldiers were to fool invaders, but no! For his afterlife, he wished to have an army that was indestructible, maybe not real men, but created warriors.

Terracotta Warriors

The visit to the site of the Terra Cotta warriors was unforgettable.   None of us (except maybe those who googled ahead) were prepared for the magnitude of the excavations nor its preserved forms.   Due to the Cultural Revolution, this secret lay buried although a few soldiers had been discovered and many knew that a huge cache was waiting to be unearthed.  Thanks to some well diggers and curious journalists it was found as late as the mid 1970s and finally the government took over and oversaw the excavations and preservations.   Today there are several pits, the first two worth spending time at.  Here, from an elevated platform that goes all around the huge dug out enclosed area, one can see larger than life sized warriors, depicting soldiers from all over China.  In authentic costumes and hair style of the period, they were of clay, with some wood or metal weapons, several ranks of officers.  Thousands of them, the very first pit with 6,000.   They were not randomly dumped, but re-arranged in battle formations, rows upon rows.

It was an eerie feeling to see so many soldiers that were not real.  What’s more, there were horses and chariots as well.  Although three pits were open, the first was the most impressive. We later saw a movie on the discovery and visited a museum.  Over 2,000 years old, this discovery is one of the greatest archeological finds of huge proportions.   It was figured out that the warrior parts like head and torso, tunic, arms and legs were made of clay separately, then assembled and fired in a kiln.  Then they were painted, but unfortunately the paint has faded, prompting the authorities to have their storage indoors as the sunlight was causing more damage.   As in many other attractions all over China,  the government has done an equally magnificent job of building up the entire tourist attraction in a pleasing and convenient manner.

Yangtze River Cruise

That done, we caught a short flight to Chongqing. This city is stated to have the third highest population in the world!   It was fondly known as the “hot pot” with its foggy and humid  weather.  We were scheduled  to make our  way to the Yangtze River Cruise.   After the hectic travels, this was to be our few days of rest and relaxation, lazily floating down the famed Yangtze river and enjoying the food, ambiance and entertainment of the cruise ship.   Getting there was another story as we had to drag our full luggage down alleys and even steps to get to the dock.  Granted the ship was small in comparison to the mega cruise ships of the world and the arrival and room allocation period was  a bit of a squeeze, but we finally settled in our rooms.   Though the ship was old, the hospitality was good and they did their best to provide us with palatable vegetarian food, even one or two Indian dishes.   Of course some amount of jealousy existed when a group from India had brought their own chef and ate daal and roti and exotic dishes every day!   But our tour manager strictly warned us not to hob nob with them in the dining room and hope for a taste!

The river itself with its famous history was interesting to us. The valley is referred to as the “great granary” of China with its waters coming from the snow melt of high peaks, lesser only than the Himalayan ranges.   Boat traffic on the river which flows nearly 400 miles to Shanghai is high and we got to see the varied interesting vessels.   Actually the river is known in different sections by other names, only the last section known as Yangtze.   Among the rivers of the world, it ranks as the third longest after the Nile and the Amazon, traversing about 396 miles.  The building of the dam had dislocated many families, but the Government  took care of the relocation and provided them with  jobs and housing.  Most of them were illiterate farmers and had few complaints on being moved.  It took 17 years from 1990 to 2009 to complete.  Twenty more dams have been planned on other rivers.  By the way, Chinese currency notes have drawings of famous tourist spots,  including the dam.

Among the many absorbing sights in the seven gorges, we found it fascinating that there were vertical and horizontal coffins hanging from the cliffs.   How they stayed there is a mystery, some wedged in the rocks.   But it was a practice for important people to be “ buried “ on the cliffs so they could be closer to heaven.  When the dam was built, some coffins had to be moved, as were living people!  The passing scenery was very pastoral and pleasant, but again no children, animals, farmers or people were in sight.  Saw the Goddess Peak.  Some of the gorges, there were 6 or 7 altogether, were deemed dangerous as the current was swift and rocks were covered by a volume of water.

We thoroughly enjoyed the lazy time socializing as well as having the privacy of our balconies, catching up on reading, browsing.   Every evening  we were entertained by the young staff on board, including our own waiter,  who proved to be so talented in the local arts.  They had plays, operas and fashion shows, even passengers were invited to participate.  The staff also presented some experts on Tai Chi, Acupuncture and intricate snuff bottle painting.   They gave us interesting and enlightening talks and demonstrations, some even found the treatment beneficial.  The ship’s photographer followed us everywhere eliciting smiles from us and was well rewarded when we all chose to buy several laminated candid camera pictures.   Some day trips had been lined up when the ship docked occasionally.  Before that, a word of warning to travelers.   In China, several of us lost fair amount of cash , including this writer!   Our educated guess was that it was stolen by the airlines as we were innocent enough to believe that it would be safe in our suitcases!   But between the X-rays that reveal everything and the TSA locks made to be opened, the money flew away!   Three other people lost cash, they believe either in the hotel, flight or even the cruise ship.   But the blame lay only with us for not being more careful and keeping cash and valuables within hands reach at all times.

We went on two of the trips planned by our cruise.   One was a short bus ride and the other a medium  trek.  Both were enjoyable as the weather was so pleasant.  The first was in the ancient town of Fengjie on the north bank of the river above the Qutang Gorge.  We travelled by coach to the White Emperor city, an ancient temple complex, dating back to 25 AD.   It is steeped in the legend of a Han Dynasty official who turned rebel and called himself the “white emperor”.   The beautiful gateways with ornate painted carvings and legendary lions guarding the gates, it was surely a taste of the ancient history as we ambled through the  narrow hallways and admired the statues within,  recreating scenes of yore.   I think the second outing was to the Fengdu ghost city with its exciting trek through the market place, traversing the shaky wooden bridge and finally coming up to the tower pagoda.   It was well populated for a ghost city!  The legends are all part of the Chinese folklore.  Now the names are a bit fuzzy, but our pictures make us recall the places!   The view from the great height was spectacular, a photographer’s paradise!   We got a good view of the river with our cruise ship moored.  Along the way we viewed carved gateways, some of which had been actually moved for the dam project but restored authentically.  There was opportunity for shopping as well.

The Three Gorges Dam, Guilin

Finally, the Three Gorges Dam located near Sandouping, Yiling .   Before we alighted to view it by bus, we were actually a part of the exciting dam “locks” .   Smoothly and slowly the level of the water was adjusted to carry our ship and a few others to the other side.   This was done overnight but we could see from our balconies how the action took place in the narrow area.  The dam was built with the view to producing electricity, increase the shipping capacity of the river, reduce the potential for floods downstream with its flood water storage capabilities.   It is the largest project of its kind in the world and China has well demonstrated its capabilities.  The dam is at a height of 185 meters and capable of producing 22,500 MW of power.  China is planning several more dams on its many rivers often prone to flooding.  We had a pleasant time in the area, of course ending up in the gift shop and picking up some more souvenirs.

After a short plane hop our next destination was Guilin, a river boat ride had been scheduled to view the beautiful limestone formations.   Bill Clinton had visited this town was one of its claims to fame!   It is also a village which gives longevity due to its humidity and relief from arthritis.  The scene was very reminiscent of the Ha Long Bay in northern Viet Nam that our group had previously visited on another tour.  The hills were covered with short foliage that did not obstruct the shape of the formations.  Our time permitted us only a brief cruise down the Li River (our slight flight delay contributed to the shortage of time).  There are hundreds of miles of lakes connected by rivers and unique natural formations, we were told.  It was indeed a beautiful and peaceful sight.   The boat was small, it was all ours, the weather a bit cloudy and we enjoyed the offering of nature in a mellow mood.  A small boat pulled up with an old fisherman who had a horizontal pole with two cormorant birds tied on each end.   They were his aids for fishing  we were told, he took any big catch from the birds but allowed them to eat the small ones.   Poor birds!   They did make good photo ops for the men to pose with!

Lovely Ladies on the boat

Unique rock formations at Guilin

Later everyone got a bit playful and we went to the upper deck of the boat and took nice group pictures and joked around with each other, creating good memories. On the horizon were towering mountains but here near the river there were small, pointy formations, green and pleasant to the view.   The other attraction of the area was the marketplace of Yangshuo with marble streets, over a thousand years old.   We did some souvenir shopping here.

Shanghai, a modern town

On to Shanghai!   What a contrast, from the rural hills of Guilin!   Here was a city to be admired and savored!   We got great accommodation right downtown, with superb views of the iconic buildings.  Shanghai, once a small fishing village has now rightfully earned nicknames such as Paris of the East, Paradise of Adventure and the Magic City!  We really could not take our eyes away from the brightly lit up buildings the night we arrived, especially the Oriental Pearl tower, I believe it is used for tele-communications, with its gorgeous pink and pearl-like  jewelled lights.  The Shanghai tower was a combination of Chinese architecture  with the genius of the designer of the Burj Khalifa of Dubai.  The next day in glorious sunshine we went to view and  go up  the iconic Jin Mao tower.  With its glass skywalk (not too scary!), height of 1,380 feet and a grand view from the top, it was very impressive.  Each building had its shape, an egg beater, a bottle opener and the Shanghai tower really looked like a roll of newspaper!  The number 8 which is high good luck for the Chinese, played heavily here with Jinmao tower having 88 floors and 8 steel columns.   Among other offices, the tower houses a Grand Hyatt hotel.   In the day time Shanghai had much greenery, was deemed a safe city with space for sports like volleyball and badminton.  In the vicinity of the city there were 15 metro lines with AC.

We had seen a lot in China, our day culminated with a fabulous acrobatic show which did not disappoint.   The performers were highly talented and coordinated expertly using props like bicycles and ropes and great juggling.  All that remained to be seen was Suchow, a 2,500 year old garden city that even Marco Polo had visited in the 13^th C.   It was a very long  drive to get there and  the weather was gloomy and the gardens bare.  It was one small disappointment in the itinerary.  The man made narrow canal was quite interesting with wedding pictures being taken on the shores.  We went for a short ride and returned to our bus.

Chengdu, The Panda Reserve

At this point on our return to Shanghai, we had to part ways with a few of our fellow travelers.   Some were travelling to Tibet, others back home and a few to another mountain resort.   We did have one other stop in China before heading for Japan.  That was after Tibet – the panda town of Chengdu!  It would be appropriate to cover that here as well.   Our group was so very lucky.   At the panda reserve, unlike a zoo, the adorable big bears were allowed to wander around large enclosures and we could freely view them.   The best part was when it was feeding time and about six or seven pandas came out all at once and sat amidst the food, some on the bamboo shoots and thoroughly enjoyed their lunch and friendly banter with each other.   That five minute video of these gentle giants lounging around at lunchtime was the best of the whole tour!   We also got to view red pandas, more like foxes with bushy striped tails and saw a movie.  Baby pandas were also there, so it was a complete package as far as we were concerned. Excellent work is being done here for preserving the species.  The walk amidst the beautiful bamboo gardens with small scenic bridges added to the feeling that yes, we were indeed in China! Not to mention the satisfying shopping at AP Market which had the imitation of every handbag, well made and at amazing prices!   It was a shoppers paradise and we all indulged!