tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23884082255813508912024-03-14T13:44:50.295+05:30Peripateticously - Postcards from here/thereAnurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comBlogger141125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-5081690611592116352015-08-09T07:47:00.002+05:302015-08-09T08:10:01.029+05:30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">These days I'm experimenting with Instagram. Check it out...<br />
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<a href="http://instagram.com/peripateticously?ref=badge" class="ig-b- ig-b-48"><img src="//badges.instagram.com/static/images/ig-badge-48.png" alt="Instagram" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://instagram.com/peripateticously/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3lxY-gKQef2pxmzjiDyCjmid_mgAk2mTi0gqLlg8WgE2XSHWYXWDDSaJEiGxZzehY1axltyOtDJPF2fYgin0BKJMQ103H1rfSb09rlfHNqo4PkyoycCrVt0Z3PL-J2U54Tzsv72e8tCgY/s320/FullSizeRender1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://instagram.com/peripateticously?ref=badge" class="ig-b- ig-b-48"><img src="//badges.instagram.com/static/images/ig-badge-48.png" alt="Instagram" /></a></div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-35054974325648463092015-06-30T19:35:00.000+05:302015-06-30T19:35:52.041+05:30Selfie Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Now here is a Selfie I approve of<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTlXttQL_Yk" target="_blank">360 degrees Selfie</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTlXttQL_Yk" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIaqBACDZIp7Bd5xHMZ-3L-eZT7cLjpfhar_8eL66TKBpXwadtDl2AcA0mN4xvYuoB_ofTUBbcQG_5JXoH4UPjXbRCkYwAY2VMgnxN001GP6ffMwELjwbjcsTBDhZ1H3EEhxk2Pv-3Udf/s320/FullSizeRender5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTlXttQL_Yk" target="_blank">360 degrees selfie</a><br />
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</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-67688232721617957542015-06-26T19:28:00.001+05:302015-06-26T19:45:47.162+05:30Javkhlan and Jimmy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
This song by Javkhlan was playing on loop everywhere (and by that I mean 'everywhere') in Mongolia in 2004:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKK5xQCNOY4&list=PL31573334924DF327&index=7" target="_blank">Javkhlan: Kholgui Tsenkher Nuur</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKK5xQCNOY4&list=PL31573334924DF327&index=7" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihbVudkEKKF7HP714ayFIzISghHqqBn0-6N4bwKqBqiW32Bje628m4k3ie0mYhyphenhyphen6ntGttw9x9W0Cqe05cI2cNsr7wzlutD6pDJGJ4nfQZuzfrMHi4JdEtvQhEracguvODF0vCscKVhue-/s320/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKK5xQCNOY4&list=PL31573334924DF327&index=7" target="_blank">Javkhlan: Kholgui Tsenkher Nuur</a><br />
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PS: Whenever I told anyone in Mongolia that I was from India, they would start singing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUdJQSUcK_Y" target="_blank">Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja</a></div><br />
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Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-75876193452867570972015-06-24T07:26:00.000+05:302015-06-24T07:26:26.500+05:30Why Travel Makes You Love the World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Some great truths in there: <br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">during travel reality exceeds expectations<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">I was reminded yet again how the world graces us with inexhaustible wonder<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">there's nothing grander than feeling tiny<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">travel is the cure for thinking you know or have seen it all<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">I fell in love with our shrinking planet all over again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/bespoke/story/20150309-50-reasons-to-love-the-world/index.html" target="_blank">50 Reasons To Love The World</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/bespoke/story/20150309-50-reasons-to-love-the-world/index.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YQip3TORte_s21ynhvmnwTCRK1bDLk_p1OMIUcNop3DniAtPVF6LQ5dv5jKUVNyWI8veAJdLMJ87VGzcBqLcfs18hKq3-SVEGj7K5fQHDqKRj5IM_SmXelzLIt-e4MREqha7RbllJe7-/s320/FullSizeRender5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/travel/bespoke/story/20150309-50-reasons-to-love-the-world/index.html" target="_blank">50 Reasons To Love The World</a><br />
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Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-61775398338179840252015-06-20T17:07:00.002+05:302015-06-21T16:16:20.036+05:30Why We Should Travel? (Reason No. 32,342,343)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://vimeo.com/120206922" target="_blank">Cycling from Oregon to Patagonia: An inspiring story</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/120206922" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-JTLVSRVfhvJNlljT5Y6nGWXjKYkZZqeU0ZJwiCoZmYCxyF1UYN6DdVrzbgyVmpCTU3qZzBmdYGFKLfXAOSJC0y4wG2zjNYqIqc3mkFbNmcAVddHe3EzVQ2hrVb1hTwgWsfrgPqjtbey/s320/FullSizeRender3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/120206922" target="_blank">Cycling from Oregon to Patagonia: An Inspiring Story</a></div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-30695874102115128382015-06-20T15:09:00.001+05:302015-06-21T10:00:58.440+05:30Iran, yet again (Apr'15)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<span id="fullpost"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWj2Zpmwc7ye0r1L6Z9UGsO1lBm3fIEjW24hCMBLUzcsKquK_FClnU4GpeWYkby1mkkY8m97GLDg6CjYjTL279aPdFj0cSFbF6hpSsP65yq3DoYuhaWclxQj7wl4sY6iFEtRKLIn8d06Q/s1600/20626_10155476040740164_1496973299263812476_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWj2Zpmwc7ye0r1L6Z9UGsO1lBm3fIEjW24hCMBLUzcsKquK_FClnU4GpeWYkby1mkkY8m97GLDg6CjYjTL279aPdFj0cSFbF6hpSsP65yq3DoYuhaWclxQj7wl4sY6iFEtRKLIn8d06Q/s320/20626_10155476040740164_1496973299263812476_n.jpg" /></a></div>My third visit to Iran and every day brought atleast one magical mesmeresing moment that touches you deep within. Sometimes there were two or more. Some of these, in no particular order, stood out: <br />
<br />
- Sunset at the Hafez tomb in Shiraz - it was sublime watching the Iranians walk reverently towards his tomb, touching it gently, reciting some of his poetry (which all of them know very well), and then opening a page at random from his 'Divan' to connect with him. Few countries in the world can take pride in the fact that their national icon is a poet and not a warrior or a politician...<br />
<br />
- At Persepolis when about 50-60 giggling little schoolgirls passed us by and spread immediate and infectious joy to all those around with their blushing smiles and confident "hellos". There is so much overlooked beauty and joy in the world...<br />
<br />
- While we were being overwhelmed by man-made beauty at every step here in Iran, nature reminded us, in a fleeting sublime moment, that it is the one that has the final word in the creation of beauty and poetry. Near the town of Mesr, surrounded by sand dunes deep in the heart of the desert, we were treated to the silent magical poem of sunset and moonrise at the exact same moment in opposite directions of the sky... and obviously the Moon was full...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><br />
<br />
</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-20460425125204185012015-06-19T18:17:00.000+05:302015-06-21T16:25:29.013+05:30Meeting other Travellers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Sometimes you meet other travellers who inspire you and leave a mark on you.<br />
<br />
Mark, whom I met on my trip to Cambodia, was at that time reading Graham Greene's 'The Quiet American.' Those three words described him very well - and I would like to add 'agreeable.'<br />
<br />
Here is what he said about our meeting: <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.travelertourist.com/2015/04/14/sort-fermi-paradox-importance-people-people-travel/">http://www.travelertourist.com/2015/04/14/sort-fermi-paradox-importance-people-people-travel/</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.travelertourist.com/2015/04/14/sort-fermi-paradox-importance-people-people-travel/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq676BHHDpKEL0M1EZtSi2wnn9dcYfYOKzGPCwlmoJV6tDJ-t5EmzWFAIPKD4ItHAPY9WVKQfDllqsgiikKJ-3g6MNc1VFrqOgCnQHeseZKFOowB5z07qlcjLg35QLAjCZAm3IIOZ594Qp/s320/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div></div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-42551282995666232692015-06-18T15:24:00.000+05:302015-06-21T17:58:17.128+05:30Underwater in Maldives (Mar'15)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><br />
No wonder I came back with a swimmer's ear...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwY5y8GcqvugwXSRQH6aA7Q3HcDGEtx_Wk13SVio4-wc63Qod0RXLzqJ54yshof5JecCf5FWN06325rBUA_JA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-18975974078550318782015-03-31T18:18:00.000+05:302015-06-21T18:23:03.148+05:30Intrigue in the Safe (Mar'15)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoqm-mYRMHUjWlaS8QobTvPsq77O5G6HlzHYEF_3iUWEI_iVEIgzvwgCS8_awP-Sc5eL9MpSHc6obIeV-m9bKUGZAikFQZ8sjYffVPcw2EK7iJ6RAOBnNOqZQGcH6izzrhJ5aepv_B9a2/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoqm-mYRMHUjWlaS8QobTvPsq77O5G6HlzHYEF_3iUWEI_iVEIgzvwgCS8_awP-Sc5eL9MpSHc6obIeV-m9bKUGZAikFQZ8sjYffVPcw2EK7iJ6RAOBnNOqZQGcH6izzrhJ5aepv_B9a2/s320/IMG_0069.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
You check into your hotel room in Colombo and head for the safe to deposit your passport there. You finally figure out how the safe works - after a couple of false starts (reminded me of the time in Venice when I locked myself out of my suitcase. More on that in another post). <br />
<br />
As you open the safe, you find something in it - no it is not money or drugs but this. <br />
<br />
John Le Carre? James Bond? <br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-49046024531229083152015-03-30T18:16:00.000+05:302015-06-21T18:17:25.654+05:30Feeling Light in Lanka (Mar'15)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1onarM25sAjddmCSLKKXgfQcH4WYSkbNndJGF2qdKPfB_14hJQhtJB2X2NYQW6L63chamKwfnOcBknZibQskpY7kvJOvdmh1hz60Y_so1Ou1xR8JOIHux9tvePyYvbWhQr-oisomVhk5P/s1600/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1onarM25sAjddmCSLKKXgfQcH4WYSkbNndJGF2qdKPfB_14hJQhtJB2X2NYQW6L63chamKwfnOcBknZibQskpY7kvJOvdmh1hz60Y_so1Ou1xR8JOIHux9tvePyYvbWhQr-oisomVhk5P/s320/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Travelling abroad is sometimes a stress – visa, foreign exchange, passport to be kept safely all the time. But then there is the unbridled joy of being in an exotic location – a different language, a different culture, a different religion, a different people. All that adds to the charm of being on the road. <br />
<br />
As Cesare Pavese said, “Travelling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and family. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it”<br />
<br />
Being in Sri Lanka was an interesting experience for me. It is an exotic country, yet it is not for us Indians. The visa was not a hassle at all, the food was not too different, yet it was. The people were not too different from us, yet they were. <br />
<br />
Travelling in Sri Lanka was one of the most enjoyable and relaxing experiences I’ve had for some time. <br />
<br />
But then, bring on the exotic…<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-83029301113890259432015-03-29T18:04:00.000+05:302015-06-21T18:06:45.279+05:30A splash of colour in Sri Lanka (Mar'15)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdhzkWCCLnKZImmQUkB77-UKUSzOxZ_fzjgpYHwvSvLhsdDwInbQYyO2WzXZrFaclaSK7MfOP-011doQfz4TardH5MGVZ0Zcu5XdXIX6BXmofmnfifpI7DyO-cbR_kCHx5YMBOyIZDR2G/s1600/Sri+Lank.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdhzkWCCLnKZImmQUkB77-UKUSzOxZ_fzjgpYHwvSvLhsdDwInbQYyO2WzXZrFaclaSK7MfOP-011doQfz4TardH5MGVZ0Zcu5XdXIX6BXmofmnfifpI7DyO-cbR_kCHx5YMBOyIZDR2G/s320/Sri+Lank.JPG" /></a></div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-24205116728812569462015-03-28T19:27:00.000+05:302015-06-21T16:17:04.390+05:30(Yet More) Reasons to Travel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Here are some (more) reasons to travel:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacada-travel/11-reasons-why-travel-makes-you-a-happier-person_b_6908918.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in" target="_blank">11 Reasons Why Travel Makes You A Happier Person</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacada-travel/11-reasons-why-travel-makes-you-a-happier-person_b_6908918.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOB5tlBZmcBDK5k2xvH7aJrournR7ZRNZM3LFx9sR1oyJKHrJCwyE2YZLPaIkssUl8ZCyVnlQZRF__VEuGXGuBwkjbBhkStKM8_jD91ijwBRe2u8uuMyq7tV8JonBuCTyS9LVTrnlYkqa/s320/FullSizeRender4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacada-travel/11-reasons-why-travel-makes-you-a-happier-person_b_6908918.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in" target="_blank">11 Reasons Why Travel Makes You A Better Person</a></div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-24424106652085295852014-09-11T15:22:00.000+05:302015-06-23T00:50:46.854+05:30Front Row Seat in Amsterdam (Sep'14)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzM3393Aci5egSVj8pHNzRvQUKWstcY4nrNP2TWsJfeuk12w6z3aXepEbJ3wfMwPn0ZTRiDAyjlDIicfFGsGZdr22Mf4X9yWBFx5NucbawXos9krFob4hvzk6oehL9_R4S7j0o1_jniGQ/s1600/DSC07683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzM3393Aci5egSVj8pHNzRvQUKWstcY4nrNP2TWsJfeuk12w6z3aXepEbJ3wfMwPn0ZTRiDAyjlDIicfFGsGZdr22Mf4X9yWBFx5NucbawXos9krFob4hvzk6oehL9_R4S7j0o1_jniGQ/s320/DSC07683.JPG"></a></div>I was in Amsterdam after almost 12 years and I did the usual rounds – a bit of culture at the Rijksmuseum Museum, a bit of Coffee Shopping (wink wink !!!), some Red Light Districting (I did a walking tour. That’s all), and a bit of catching up with friends. <br>
<br>
However, my mind went back to the evening in 2002 during my first visit to the city - the I-Amsterdam sign had not yet been put up and the Rijksmuseum had yet to get its million dollar refurbishment. I did fall in love with a blonde who bicycled past me. As all visitors to Amsterdam do at some point or the other. <br>
<br>
That evening, one of my first as a solo traveller, I was pretty happy. The previous day I met this lovely Ecuadorian girl and we hung out, as I enjoyed the smoke in coffee shops and the company of an exotic woman. But this evening, alone and emboldened, I decide to walk around in the Red Light District (I use capital letters, for a reason) and found myself walking into one of those sex shows. <br>
<br>
Not knowing what to expect, I was pleased when I was ushered into an empty seat in the first row (otherwise the auditorium was full). On the stage was a couple who were mechanically doing what couples all over the world do (usually in the privacy of their bedroom). They would ‘perform’ their act for about 5-7 minutes and then after a 2-3 minute break the next couple would come (no pun intended) onto stage. In these breaks, there were some funny acts which involved audience participation and volunteering from the audience. <br>
<br>
Well aware of the perils of the being the front row – be it in a classroom or in a sex show in Amsterdam – I started getting nervous lest I be called up on stage and have my leg pulled. <br>
<br>
I will leave the rest to your imagination. <br>
<br>
</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-19489250009252583052014-09-11T07:16:00.000+05:302015-06-21T07:45:14.708+05:30Coup and Curfew in Chiang Mai (May'14)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEuI5BPO7VeuhxrlV2AZnvWkRL-TsA6x-DYTMiWeOfAzVQ060WQ1KDKJBaODvyBhlCeHrpV9bkHCQfjdZ_VR1zOWf7Uuozuhn3GpJRgWgU85PHoY_zJYg6UEugGXUQ3jm26yHqmIfmI01/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEuI5BPO7VeuhxrlV2AZnvWkRL-TsA6x-DYTMiWeOfAzVQ060WQ1KDKJBaODvyBhlCeHrpV9bkHCQfjdZ_VR1zOWf7Uuozuhn3GpJRgWgU85PHoY_zJYg6UEugGXUQ3jm26yHqmIfmI01/s320/photo2.JPG" /></a></div>Having been to Bangkok earlier, and wanting to avoid traps like Krabi and Phuket, I headed north to Chiang Mai. I was pleased to be away from Bangkok’s hustle and bustle in this easy-to-manage town. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">One evening after a day of hectic sightseeing, which consisted of visiting far too many Pagodas, I was looking forward to watching some Thai boxing (Muay Thai) after dinner. As I was eating my India meal (yes!) and checking the news, I found out that there had been a Coup in Thailand. The army had taken over and they’d announced a curfew every day from ten at night till six in the morning. My first reaction was ‘there goes kick boxing tonight.’<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Fortunately, my hotel had a number of bars close by, so I drank the coup away…<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-204377892963572212014-09-10T07:18:00.005+05:302014-09-10T21:53:02.275+05:30Cambodia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Laziness has overtaken me (yet again!!!) but this will be updated…in due course, at the appropriate juncture, in the fullness of time, when the time is ripe, when the conditions are fortituious…<br />
</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-59570270404272242652014-09-10T07:18:00.002+05:302014-09-10T21:53:17.276+05:30V...V....Vietnam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Laziness has overtaken me (yet again!!!) but this will be updated…in due course, at the appropriate juncture, in the fullness of time, when the time is ripe, when the conditions are fortituious…<br />
</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-90275033165442586972014-09-10T07:17:00.006+05:302014-09-10T21:53:26.083+05:30Moroccan Salad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Laziness has overtaken me (yet again!!!) but this will be updated…in due course, at the appropriate juncture, in the fullness of time, when the time is ripe, when the conditions are fortituious…<br />
</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-62972410747559500872014-02-01T13:49:00.000+05:302015-06-20T13:41:12.528+05:30Chai in Iran (Apr'13)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span id="fullpost"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfr-SuIWukyl03gTy8_KH3DmkWAgptkrwyZPxALvA2U9A_DI7Boc3f0rdS-xDVToQ7ZHnguW0ZDhu3EsamXlRasDGleOQvoux0akSiJsog3NfkbYIC-IenvnaFmMOVsKBzpFzE1-Dm_DT/s1600/DSC_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfr-SuIWukyl03gTy8_KH3DmkWAgptkrwyZPxALvA2U9A_DI7Boc3f0rdS-xDVToQ7ZHnguW0ZDhu3EsamXlRasDGleOQvoux0akSiJsog3NfkbYIC-IenvnaFmMOVsKBzpFzE1-Dm_DT/s320/DSC_0479.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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I will not bore you with what EVERY visitor to Iran says: “Iranians are one of the friendliest people in the world. Safety? Stop reading CNN and BBC and start travelling” <br />
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My first visit (a year previously) was the classic route: Tehran-Shiraz-Yazd-Esfahan. I was so enamoured by the country that I made a second visit within a year. <br />
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This time I went north towards the Caspian Sea visiting Rasht-Anzali-Ardabil-Tabriz. At the port of Anzali (Bandar-e-Anzali), we stayed right on the shores of the Caspian. <br />
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During an evening walk along the Caspian, we spotted a man astride a horse. Picture a misty evening, the calm waters of the Caspian gently lapping on the shore, and then out of nowhere appears this horseman of apocalypse. <br />
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My travel companions could not resist a horse ride so they conversed with the horseman and settled on a rate. Please take the words ‘conversed’ and ‘settled’ with a pinch of salt. <br />
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For after both my companions had had their rather short horse-rides they gave to the horseman what they thought was the agreed sum (I will not even go into the who Rial-Toman confusion every tourist faces in Iran - http://peripateticously.blogspot.in/2012/05/getting-introduced-to-iran.html). <br />
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The horseman demanded more money - we could not figure out how much – we anyway refused to pay more. At which point he took out a knife from his pocket and started making violent slashing gestures. We could not make out if he was saying that he would cut us to pieces or whether he would slash his wrist. Either which way we did panic a bit and started wondering what to do with the mad knife-man (by now we had forgotten that he was a horse-man to start with). <br />
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After a few more minutes of this slashing motion, we decided to take him to the hotel and get him to speak with someone who spoke Farsi. Keeping a fair distance from him, and his knife, we took him to the hotel manager who calmly invited him into his room, offered him a cup of tea, and after a brief chat with him, led him out as one would someone one has just interviewed. <br />
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There is nothing tea cannot solve in Iran. <br />
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</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-10443960665208683032014-02-01T09:22:00.000+05:302015-06-22T09:29:40.428+05:3099 Balloons in Munich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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Post-oktoberfest, memories of the dance floor in a bar...<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQYQTFudrqc" target="_blank">99 Luftbalons</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQYQTFudrqc" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32eFsShrSDnY9lFwOg2Ea7geBEqc6gEygwga-T6u2HEeK0BApll5estc6qFYpZgPlPCUs7uHicaSuiQdMStYTAhinAzXny1gtqiihhHHxmHdlQ4xLX9Y1CInaBaHe22wX6RqPtoGfSyJ0/s320/FullSizeRender+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQYQTFudrqc" target="_blank">99 Luftbalon</a><br />
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</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-51663919216297273132014-01-30T13:29:00.000+05:302015-06-20T12:38:10.361+05:30Oktoberfest / Ibiza (Sep'12)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span id="fullpost"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89eEkekSV0xxeMXdW9WrZmcfjaEeepS1VnmumCb2hf8xhziWKdD4m0iiAiKShhBfExypfQ8asUhcQdnfSM01OqrxLSz6uzkVYRiNGToqaSP3bYZ11vBae8Vbzj0qHjZGnOchxr2AU_CUX/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89eEkekSV0xxeMXdW9WrZmcfjaEeepS1VnmumCb2hf8xhziWKdD4m0iiAiKShhBfExypfQ8asUhcQdnfSM01OqrxLSz6uzkVYRiNGToqaSP3bYZ11vBae8Vbzj0qHjZGnOchxr2AU_CUX/s320/Untitled.png" /></a></div>Well, sometimes you have to do what every one else does. <br />
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Apart from over-consumption of beer, music, sleep deprivation, and a fair share of hangovers, the most ‘memorable’ part of this trip was that I had my first brush with misplaced baggage. <br />
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Ibiza-Barcelona-Munich was the route and the layover at Barcelona was an hour only. Sure enough, on landing at Munich, I was not surprised to find that my bag had not reached. <br />
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After a brush with German bureaucracy (‘Please fill this form. And then this one’) l was off to the hotel (sans a change of clothes). <br />
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My flight to Delhi was in exactly 24 hours and I was told that the next flight from Barcelona (with my bag, hopefully) would reach in 18 hours. Which is where I found myself 18 hours later. <br />
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I was nervous about getting the bag (and completing the paperwork) in time for my check in. Anyways, I had to go through security to reach the ‘lost baggage’ section. Took a wrong turn and had to go through security a second time – I was sure that some smart police official would catch me and ask, in his Germanic tone, “Sir, why are you going through security again and again? Could you please step aside?”<br />
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Since I am not updating this blog from a German jail, I managed going through the security a second time (a rather nervous fifteen minutes). <br />
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On reaching the ‘lost baggage’ section, I was told that my baggage was ‘most probably’ coming on the Barcelona flight which was ‘on time’. The ‘on time’ was re-assuring but the ‘most probably’ was not. And I was pointed towards the baggage carousel for the Barcelona flight. <br />
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Standing there, watching everyone else excepting for me, pick up their baggage from the carousel, I had a sense of Déjà vu. When there were only three people left waiting for their baggage (apart from me), I laughed out loud wondering what my Plan B would be. Do I take my flight to Delhi sans my baggage? Or Do I skip that flight? Mentally I made a note of how important my stuff in the bag was. <br />
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Fortunately, I did not reach that fork in the road and I saw my bag. Long story short – this is what I remember from my trip – and not the extraordinary amount of beer and paracetamol guzzled and not the thump-thump-thump-thump in the Ibiza night clubs at five in the morning.<br />
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</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-75881494708295489682014-01-28T08:17:00.000+05:302015-06-20T10:04:27.748+05:30Going Greek (Sept'12)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3YSIWm0_2aayoY7dZLbth9yWtYUdcv-5faAF5utK2hFBtjtexLuPLcXP2_rrOcCjYkioI1QnHHXmA8AKG1BavM5tF5Dkh8E1PqLlWI4HjgMnJKO86GdgJVXRLTYdspldlhSJw8iu2ysc/s1600/SAM_0336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3YSIWm0_2aayoY7dZLbth9yWtYUdcv-5faAF5utK2hFBtjtexLuPLcXP2_rrOcCjYkioI1QnHHXmA8AKG1BavM5tF5Dkh8E1PqLlWI4HjgMnJKO86GdgJVXRLTYdspldlhSJw8iu2ysc/s320/SAM_0336.JPG" /></a></div>I’m going to be sticking my neck out here and blaspheming. I hated Mykonos and Santorini. The fridge magnet and souvenir shops on the former and the much-hyped sunset on the latter. It seemed as though most European holiday makers were there. As were many Indian tourists (those who were not in Switzerland, that is). Far too many tourists for my liking.<br />
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Me, I preferred Ios, Naxos, and Syros. These were smaller islands with far fewer tourists and a much slower pace of life. On Syros, we were treated to an impromptu bouzouki performance on the side of the street after dinner (not by someone wanting to make money off the tourists but someone who just enjoyed playing it). On Ios, a pleasant evening on a pirate boat that doubled up as a bar and where I heard Dire Straits’ ‘Six Blade Knife’ for the first time and fell in love with it. <br />
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These are the sort of memories that remain (and not the sunset on Santorini !). <br />
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</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-55864028585979905092014-01-26T19:50:00.003+05:302014-01-26T20:25:10.534+05:30Raindrops keep falling on my side... (Sept'12)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zh6mLIokTFY5RTHgMGGLJJU7ko7ossvRbL3xqDeRx78JIhoQKMdGX_YwQy01ub67kX6KkxHdHjqqdPjnAfz1r2IEkMCcavXSnWyw9T24GUrKWFBJdXKdnjZz3P567uFm-tp003kjD8oD/s1600/DSC_0143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Zh6mLIokTFY5RTHgMGGLJJU7ko7ossvRbL3xqDeRx78JIhoQKMdGX_YwQy01ub67kX6KkxHdHjqqdPjnAfz1r2IEkMCcavXSnWyw9T24GUrKWFBJdXKdnjZz3P567uFm-tp003kjD8oD/s320/DSC_0143.JPG" /></a></div>I was thoroughly enjoying the charms of tiny, and logistically manageable, Malta. Every day in the morning, after a lovely breakfast overlooking the bay, I would choose that cardinal direction in Malta where I’d not been. The all-you-can-ride bus pass was a heaven sent for an Indian traveller who always needs to convert Euros in Rupees prior to any purchase. So that morning, I decided on a bit of island hopping (remember there are only 3 islands in what comprises Malta, so there was not much hopping to be done!). From Valetta I took the bus to Cirkewwa, an hour-and-a-half ride away from Valletta. It is from Cirkewwa that one gets the ferry to Comino and then onwards to Gozo. On the way, at St. Paul's bay, I spotted an Indian restaurant ('Star of India'). I quickly wrote a post-it to myself. <br />
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Comino is nothing but a clump of<span id="fullpost"> rock and is virtually uninhabited save for a hotel - but it was bustling with sun-worshippers the day I was there (it was a Sunday). The place to be on the island is the Blue Lagoon - a ridiculously blue alcove which is crammed with beach-bums of all shapes and sizes. I wasn’t carrying a mat so there was not much lounging around I could do – but I did have my trunks, and a book. So I spent a totally unproductive, yet relaxing, couple of hours on the rocks and in the water. <br />
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Gozo is, in comparison, a pretty large Island and has quite a lot to see. Gozo is dotted with wee towns and each of these has a large church that is visible from miles. So no matter where you are on Gozo you can see a fair sprinkling of these churches. The main town on Gozo is Victoria, which didn't seem to be interesting so I gave it a miss.<br />
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My favourite town was Xlendi which had a lovely narrow bay - with pretty houses all around. Everyone from Xlendi seemed to be on the bay that day as there was some sort of festival-event going on. A rope was tied across the bay and youngsters hanging from this rope would make their way to the centre of the bay before jumping in the water below (a good 20-30 metres) to applause from all those, including me, who had gathered.<br />
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The other to-see sight on Gozo is Dwejra bay which has one of the most stunning geological structures I've seen (like a big doughnut, it was called the 'azure window'). What was amazing was that a group of young lads were jumping from the top of this structure into the shallow, and rather choppy, waters below (the jump would have been atleast 100 metres. Perhaps more!). One could see them struggling with their courage just before they made the jumps (some of them had to pump themselves up for a few minutes before they could, literally, take the plunge). Even if I knew swimming I don't think I would ever be able to make that jump! <br />
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The disappointment for me on Gozo was that the Ggantija temples were closed that day. These are neolithic temples which are supposedly over 5,800 years old and are believed to be some of the oldest standing stone structures in the world. Well, my travelosophy is that, one must always leave something unvisited as an incentive to re-visit. As they say, <i>Insha Allah</i><br />
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After the ferry back to Cirkewwa and the bus ride back to Valletta, I went and plonked myself in a small restaurant. Picture the Maltese equivalent of the 'Indian Coffee home' - interiors in shambles, slow service, and locals hanging on for hours over a coffee or a beer. Even I (with my advancing age) pulled down the average age of the patrons here by atleast 20 years. This building apparently used to house the local philharmonic society. As if on cue, to help me immortalise the moment in my travel memory, it started raining quite heavily (I was indoors remember!) and the sound of the rain drops on the plexi-glass type roof was quite soothing as it reminded me that I was protected from the elements. Not for long - as the roof started leaking and the patrons, without batting an eyelid, opened their umbrellas! As the well-worn saying goes, "When in Rome..."<br />
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I still giggle to myself whenever I picture that image. <br />
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</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-35950633654433731452013-09-01T10:12:00.001+05:302013-09-01T15:10:10.021+05:30Exploring pre-history in a nation of three islands (Sept'12)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzT8JcP-H5Z5fHPTr8nvPFgWLlaodZblNUbXM6dWAfdNiuAr_AXTMXoOD6S-jrOgTBhHEV7ptMfvIWvqO_RwudbrD7zdPIU-pv2l0-JWA1SgjZQxBXZ88PksdEFdIwTSwd70jmE1jiGlx/s1600/DSC_0037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzT8JcP-H5Z5fHPTr8nvPFgWLlaodZblNUbXM6dWAfdNiuAr_AXTMXoOD6S-jrOgTBhHEV7ptMfvIWvqO_RwudbrD7zdPIU-pv2l0-JWA1SgjZQxBXZ88PksdEFdIwTSwd70jmE1jiGlx/s320/DSC_0037.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0FU6dRM8iEq2lj5ZrMKzXh4lwovC9ublV-zss3mWV3T38IWnN1f3oZ1P41m9w27VMDMxmo01aRPL6kxzDiSxAfpqLW-OegYvTXVEsTd3W3qXyIwHBEIeJRKXsslkUTYYtaUcgGdf4fe8/s1600/DSC_0021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA0FU6dRM8iEq2lj5ZrMKzXh4lwovC9ublV-zss3mWV3T38IWnN1f3oZ1P41m9w27VMDMxmo01aRPL6kxzDiSxAfpqLW-OegYvTXVEsTd3W3qXyIwHBEIeJRKXsslkUTYYtaUcgGdf4fe8/s320/DSC_0021.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The Delhi-Munich flight was delayed and I was nervous about my rather short Munich-Malta connection. Fortunately, we made up time between India and Europe and I was able to snatch time for a couple of beers at Munich airport before catching the flight for Malta.<br />
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The brief flight over the azure mediterranean brought me to the Island of Malta, which is one of the three islands that comprise the country of Malta (the other two being Comino and Gozo) - I managed to visit all three during the week I was there.<br />
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The largest of these three islands, Malta, is about as big as Delhi (probably smaller) and there is an extremely efficient bus service that runs through it connecting all the major (and minor) towns. For a seven-day pass (at 12€) one can make as many mistakes as one likes. Almost every tourist (including yours truly) buys that pass. Very often one sees the tourists rummaging through the contents of their purses / wallets / handbags to look for the little stub of paper.<br />
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Malta’s capital, Valetta, where I based myself, seems to be straight out of 1930s britain and Is predictably small (about a km long and not more than 600 metres wide, with a princely population of 7000). I was staying at ‘The British Hotel’ which was very conveniently located and I congratulated myself on a booking well done on tripadvisor.com. This joy was shortlived when I was shown to my room to get to which I had to climb over <span id="fullpost">150 stairs. Reminded me of a hostel I once stayed in in Florence. When I made the booking I got an email from them saying that they did not encourage people over 35 years (which I was). When I called them to ask why, they coolly said, “we’re on the third floor and there is no lift so we don’t encourage middle-aged people”. Ouch!!!<br />
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Ok back to Valetta.<br />
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Prior to the great siege of 1565 (did you read my previous post?) only Fort St. Elmo (at the tip of what is now Valletta) was inhabited. After the siege, Grand Master la Valette (of Knights of St. John) ordered the building of a new city, which was subsequently named after him. How grand indeed. <br />
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Valetta is supposed to be one of Europe's first planned cities. Given the harsh mediterranean climate here, the city is built in straight lines (to allow cool sea breeze to waft through) and the buildings are tall so that sunlight is kept out. Thus though the temperature might be quite high (early 30s when I was there), the breeze makes it pretty comfortable. <br />
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The National Museum of Archaeology is an interesting place to start my exploration of Malta I didn't know about the fascinating pre-history of Malta and this museum gave a nice overview about the neolithic sites of Hypogeum, Tarxien, Ggantija, Hagar Qim, and Mnajdra. Most of the treasures discovered at these sites are now placed at the museum - the Venus de Malta and the Sleeping Lady and the fat ladies!<br />
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One of the largest structures in Valletta is the St. John's Co-cathedral. That is a funny name you ask. So did I. Apparently its status as a cathedral was, at some point, raised to be equal with that of St. Paul's Cathedral in Mdina. Hence the prefix 'co-'.<br />
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Built in the 16th century (1573-8), the interior of this cathedral is embellished in baroque style. The floor of the cathedral is littered with tombs of knights of the order (which order? you haven't been paying attention!). The jewel of the cathedral is the painting 'beheading of St. John the Baptist' by Carravagio. It is an amazing painting - and the usual brilliance of Carravagio is at display - the subtle of use of light ('chiarascuro') and the limited palate. Carravagio spent a year or so in Malta (1607-08) when on the run for a murder in Rome. He was made a knight of the Order here but not long before he again got into trouble and had to flee Malta too.<br />
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Across the Harbour from Valletta are what are known as 'the three cities' - Senglea, Vittoriosa, and Cospicua. On my first day in Malta I took a bus to visit these cities which portrude like three fingers into the Grand Harbour. The first town is Senglea (formerly Isla). Calling it a town would be quite a strech as it is only 823 metres by 320 metres (no I did not measure it). Senglea has some really old houses (some apparently from the 13th century). The other city is Vittoriosa (formerly Birgu) which has a fort (St. Angelo) that bore the brunt of the attack during The Great Siege. I hopped from one city to the other (remember I had the 12€ bus pass!) admiring the views of the sea that would peek in through the buildings every now and then.<br />
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On my second day in Valetta, I queued very early in the morning for tickets to the Hypogeum (more on that later). Entry to the site is restricted - only 60 visitors per day of which 40 are sold on the internet (these sell out months in advance) and 20 are sold the previous day across the counter. Now this counter (in the Fine Arts Museum in Valletta) opens at 09:00 in the morning. I was told that the queing starts at 08:00. Being an Indian, and instinctively trained to beat queues, I reached there at 07:30 smugly believing that I would be the first one. Of course, I was wrong. But fortunately, I did get my one ticket.<br />
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So the next day, armed with my precious ticket, I made way to the Hypogeum (which actually means ‘underground’ in Greek). I never know that Malta had so much pre-history. This structure, a necropolis dating from 3000-2500 BC, is an underground structure where the remains of over 7500 people were found. The Hypogeum was discovered in 1902 when workers working on some residential construction discovered its roof by accident.<br />
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Along with the few other tourists we were given a guided, and well-controlled, tour of the Hypogeum which has three different layers and lots of different kinds of rooms. Thanks to the draft that kept on sweeping the structure, I was reminded of an interesting story from the 1940s when a British lady visited and claimed to have seen a few hunched human-like figures with white hair. Then her candle went out and she felt something brush against here in the dark. I felt a similar sensation every time cool wind gushed past us. Fortunately I survived.<br />
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PS: The language spoken is Malti which is an interesting mix of Arabic and Italian. Hello is derived from Arabic (Marhba) and Thank You is derived from Italian (Grazzi).<br />
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</div></span>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-43107943818922179982013-08-21T14:36:00.001+05:302013-09-01T10:07:12.283+05:30Figuring out Malta (Sept'12)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB9mC6wcZAB-a81X7AK8O4xf1ZSN5E0Z38Tsu8b-PbrKDihQ832IF3Fz-JKzPGqPVReglL3Hjvg7WGGOA3TmI9le8gBKWIcNVsWn1qX-XCMzmR9UyiRnNmk5h4Nu1I6Jy-lZUGD8vmWiZ/s1600/DSC_0013-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPB9mC6wcZAB-a81X7AK8O4xf1ZSN5E0Z38Tsu8b-PbrKDihQ832IF3Fz-JKzPGqPVReglL3Hjvg7WGGOA3TmI9le8gBKWIcNVsWn1qX-XCMzmR9UyiRnNmk5h4Nu1I6Jy-lZUGD8vmWiZ/s320/DSC_0013-2.jpg" /></a></div>Somehow, I’ve always wanted to visit Malta (made easier by the fact that I already had a Schengen stamp in my passport). So when I started reading up on Malta, I realised that for a country its size, Malta has a really interesting history – a smorgasbord of Arab / British / Italian influences.<br />
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But like most, I had a simple query, “where in the world is Malta?”.<br />
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Because this island country has had a chequred past, it is only fair that I bore you with a history/geography lesson. Apparently at one point in time it <span id= "fullpost">was connected by land with Sicily (it is only about 90kms south of Sicily). There is evidence of pre-historic habitation here during the period 3600-2500BC when a number of neolithic temples were built. The Phoenicians occupied Malta between 800-220 BC and St. Paul was shipwrecked here (in AD 60). The islands were under Arab control during the 9th-11th centuries. Quite a melange!<br />
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The Knights of St. John were given this Island by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V when they were defeated by the Ottomans at Rhodes in 1522/3. The most famous episode of history at Malta was during 1565 when 'the great siege of Malta' took place. The Ottomans tried to oust the Knights from Malta and had the island surrounded for months. The Knights, despite being grossly outnumbered, successfully weathered, and repelled, the siege. It was after the siege that the Grandmaster de Valette decided to build a new city on the location of what is now Valletta (Malta’s capital).<br />
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In 1798, the Knights were finally expelled from Malta by the French who ruled for two years (misrule is the word, as apparently they looted and desecrated). In 1800, with the help of the British, the Maltese overthrew the French and Malta became a British possession.<br />
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Malta was used as a military hospital during WWI (and was referred to as the 'nurse of the Mediterranean'). During WWII, in 1942, Malta was subjected to 154 days of continuous bombing by the Axis Powers (when apparently over 6700 tonnes of bombs were dropped on the Island). Malta successfully weathered the attacks and this is supposed to be one of the important turning points of WWII.<br />
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In 1964, Malta got independence from the British and in 1974, it became a republic though British influence is still visible in the Island (haberdashery stores et al).<br />
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Ok, that’s all for today.<br />
</div></span>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2388408225581350891.post-35868615619571825962012-07-13T18:18:00.002+05:302012-07-13T18:21:07.715+05:30Adieu Havana (Jun'12)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUG2gkUq6HAk6lByQszE8H_xqkFdYlj-P2NyWB2sJj62LyjyYeTudfaCmqUTDuDrRuSAWPPescORfEJxV998xh1jFAlqP3YvXsAzBmB8b7McgO5oa4D2IPdEf7P9afXUK3KsmrKh_4m92Q/s1600/DSC_0870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="134" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUG2gkUq6HAk6lByQszE8H_xqkFdYlj-P2NyWB2sJj62LyjyYeTudfaCmqUTDuDrRuSAWPPescORfEJxV998xh1jFAlqP3YvXsAzBmB8b7McgO5oa4D2IPdEf7P9afXUK3KsmrKh_4m92Q/s200/DSC_0870.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm25qIZnmmn3jaPDHf_XSyaVuekAgYgBzftjkhfwqd4v6GaWks-vIOquYOP5RU7qFeQ5s0A4HjAXv13SQ4F62ZrKbySnz0ukuCHga4PC_eULVZUzWt1KxDDUUfI9CakkAbfvohFApZ6GoK/s1600/DSC_0736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm25qIZnmmn3jaPDHf_XSyaVuekAgYgBzftjkhfwqd4v6GaWks-vIOquYOP5RU7qFeQ5s0A4HjAXv13SQ4F62ZrKbySnz0ukuCHga4PC_eULVZUzWt1KxDDUUfI9CakkAbfvohFApZ6GoK/s200/DSC_0736.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">So I was back in Havana after having seen Baracoa, Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Trinidad, Cinfuegos, and Santa Clara. Now that I’d experienced the smaller towns of Cuba, I felt ready to take on the hustle and bustle of Havana. Even though I feel comfortable in big cities, I missed the intimacy of small town Cuba and the ability to easily walk to all the sights (more importantly, to the Casa de la Trova!). <br />
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Hemingway spent a good number of years in Havana and a number of bars claim to be where he spent a lot of his time (just like almost every coffee shop in Edinburgh claims to have had J.K. Rowling having written Harry Potter in their shop). Havana’s most famous bar is ‘La Bodeguita del Medio’ which, as per Papa Hemingway had the best Mojitos in Havana. Patrons at this bar are encouraged to write graffiti on the walls which makes it an interesting place to down a drink. So ‘La Bodeguita del Medio’ is famous for Mojitos, then which bar has the best Daiquiris. That honour goes to Floridita. Hotel Ambos Mundos is where Hemingway used to stay on his visits to Havana and, of course, that hotel doesn’t forget to remind the visitor of that fact (along with selling overpriced Mojitos). <br />
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The most famous building of Havana is the El Capitolio which used to be the seat of the legislature till the Revolution. This building is supposedly modelled on Washington’s Capitol Hill. Just behind this (fittingly) is the former Partagas cigar factory. I picked up a few of those overpriced sticks of tobacco from there. I also visited the ‘Museo de la Revolucion’ which was part history part propaganda but some of the photographs were interesting. <br />
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Most of the rest of my time in Havana I spent at the Nacional Hotel (a lovely sea front Hotel, where the rich and famous of Havana come to unwind) and at the Jazz Café. Like I said, music is never far away in Cuba. <br />
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On my last day in Cuba, I made a day trip tour to the western side of the Island towards Vinales valley – where a lot of tobacco is grown. The topography of this side of the country was very different from what I had seen on the Eastern side. Vinales valley has interesting geological structures called Mogotes (which are cliffs which look more than islands in the middle of the valley). Apart from going to a Cigar-rolling factory and a Rum workshop, I also visited this cave (cueva del Indio) where we were given a boat ride inside the dark and dingy cave on the stream that flows through the cave.<br />
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I was feeling a bit down that day knowing that it was my last day in Cuba. Oh well, I might return one day – but I’ll have to perfect my dance steps before that. <br />
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</div>Anurag Chatrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10132630662218861438noreply@blogger.com