Glimpses around Melbourne

Melbourne is my favorite city in Australia. Thus this time (another worktrip) I was a little disappointed to not be able to spend time in the city. I was instead stuck in a silly suburb called dandenong – and the only thing going for this suburb is that I visited the Dandenong Ranges National park, and did a short trail in the Sherbrooke forest. The park, like most Australian National Parks was green and serene. It is soothing and refreshing to walk in such an open space, especially since the weather was lovely. I just wish I could do a couple of more trails, but it it difficult to get everything.

I also visited another beautiful beach which I had not been to before – Brighton. And this one is especially lovely thanks to the row of colorful bath houses on the shore. I also happened to be there at a time when the sun rays spread out beautifully on the ocean
through a window from the clouds.

Bali Sunsets

All islands have the blessing of beautiful sunsets and sunrises – in the space of a day, you can see a sun rising out over the ocean, and then see the same sun being devoured by a huge expanse of water in the evenings.

Being a later riser, the only sunrise I enjoyed in Bali was from the top of Batur, which covered in clouds, was a little muted. But I did enjoy two beautiful sunsets – both near remarkable temples located on ocean fronts.

The first sunset was at Uluwatu – a temple in the south-west of Bali in Bukit peninsula. The most remarkable feature of this temple is its location – perched atop a steep cliff which rises from the ocean. Parts of the temple are closed to visitors, amongst them the main prayer area. The day being Diwali, I would have like to go in and offer prayers, but I had to contend myself with roaming through the grounds, and enjoying the beautiful view from above.

The temple is held captive by monkeys – you will find them everywhere and visitors were strongly discouraged to wear glasses, or keep anything  in hands. However, as I sat down on one of the ledges, a very determined and fierce monkey approached me, and took out a slipper from my feet – I made no attempt to resist. One of the locals got the monkey to drop the exchange in return of a fruit, and asked me for a tip in exchange – it turns out that this is a regular means of earning at the temple, and I would not be surprised if the locals were training the monkeys to do exactly this.

Aside from the monkeys, Uluwatu is a very peaceful place. Near the temple grounds, a performance of kecak dance is organized, but since it happens around sunset, I skipped it to enjoy the sunset instead. It was beautiful to see the sun go down slowly into the waters, covered partially by a layer of cloud. The backdrop of Uluwatu structures made it even more majestic.

Our second beautiful sunset was at Tanah Lot, towards North-west parts of the province. Both Tanah Lot and Uluwatu are part of the nine directional temples of Bali, which, located at strategic locations protect the people from evil forces. It is easy to see that the people fear water, and consider it a major source of dark forces, as most of the temples are located near water bodies.

Tanah Lot is a very unusual structure, made almost like a ship, and you can access it only in low tides. Thankfully, at the time we went, it was a low tide and we could go close. Visitors are not allowed inside the temple, but the view of the structure from the outside, sitting almost in the ocean is very alluring.

It is rather difficult to capture the temple and the sunset in the same frame, especially because it is a very crowded place (crowded without being intrusive though, as everyone quickly gets absorbed in the sunset or the dramatic temple structure).  So I focused on them separately. Since here you are at the shore (unlike Uluwatu where you are on the cliff), the sunset feels much closer. From its brilliant orange glow, we saw the sun become a small ball of fire, slowly, almost painstakingly.

We had approached the temple not from the parking lot, but from the end of a nearby hotel. There are no vendors on this side, which apparently cause a lot of annoyance from the parking end. After the sunset, we also exited from this end, as the Kecak dance was to be held next to the hotel. Kecak dance is a traditional Balinese dance form where they enact the story of Ramayana. It is the equivalent of Ramlila, though the presentation is more musical. The tale is narrated by nearly 150 people sitting in a circle, and as they narrate, characters come and perform the story. At sometime, the narrators become part of the story, and then quickly go back to narration. It is a lovely experience, and if you have time, you should view this trance-like performance.

Climbing Mount Batur

To me, what is most fascinating about Indonesia is its volcanoes. They have often wreaked havoc, killed, destroyed and should be feared and perhaps loathed. But there is something very alluring about fumes coming out of rich green mountains, about lakes formed in craters, about black wastelands of dried lava.

So when I went to Bali, on top of my mind, above all the temples and the beaches, was a wish to see a crater upclose. Mount Batur, the second highest mountain in Bali is an active volcano, but it has not erupted since 1994. Our guide on the climb claimed it to be dormant, but I do not know if he was using the term loosely. At a height of ~1700m, Batur is not very difficult to climb, and quite a few people climb it to enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the ocean and behind Lake Batur. A sunrise climb seemed like a perfect way to enjoy the beautiful views of the lake.

Batur is towards the northern part of Bali, and the base of the climb is nearly an hour’s drive away from Ubud, the central part of Bali. We were staying in Nusa Dua – way south of the province, which meant that even in the wee hours of morning it would take us two hours just to reach the base. So it was at an ungodly hour of 1 am in the night that we woke up and started the journey. At 3 am, we were at the base. The weather at the base was beautiful – it was pitch dark and the stars were thus visible in their full glory. There was a gentle breeze, the coolest we had felt so far in Bali. You cannot do the climb without a guide, not because it is particularly dangerous, but because the union of guides will pester and follow you if you do not engage one of them. Internet rumors say that they even might try to mislead you. I of course did not want to test this, having a guide was comfortable, because I would not have found my way through the dark.

Though we climbed slowly and took a few breaks, we reached the summit at 4:30 am – there was still almost an hour to sunrise. The climb was deceptively simple at the beginning, but as we went forward, it got steeper. Moreover, the eruptions from the volcano have dried up to form lumps, which are round and brittle and do not give a good foothold. Wearing running shoes did not help (how many shoe types can you carry on a trip), as they did not grip too well in the fragile soil, and i found myself slipping a couple of times.

At the summit, while waiting for the sunrise we met with the shock of cold. The breeze had now turned into wind. We had not been warned of such low temperatures – neither did the other groups seem so well equipped. After seeing us shiver for a while, our guide took us to a higher point, where a woman was running a coffee shack. In her kitchen, the fire warmed us, as did a big tumbler of coffee. In a while, as there was some light, we came out, only to discover that the whole sky was covered in clouds – we were not going to have our sunrise after all. We sat down on the rocks, still waiting for some clouds to clear. Meanwhile, our guide brought us some boiled eggs and banana sandwiches (yes) for breakfast – something we ate hungrily and with relish.

For a while, the sun played hide and seek and we saw alternate sceneries of cloud cover and golden rays over Lake Batur. Sometimes we were even able to see behind upto Agung (the highest point in Bali). The clouded view to me somehow seemed even better than what a sunny view might have been, but I suppose I will have to go again to compare. All around were beautiful views – clouds floating by letting up the lake free sometime, then seizing it again.

While coming back, we stopped at one of the craters, from where steam was still coming out.I do not want to overuse the word beautiful – but I don’t know what else to say.

As expected, the climb down was far more difficult than going up. The lumps kept slipping beneath my feet and I had to often seek steadiness from Rupesh or the guide. Soon, the sun came up (wrong time, wrong place) and bore down in full strength. Out with the shades and sunscreens, which didn’t protect much.

We came back to the taxi dusty and tired. It helped that our next stop was a coffee plantation where got a taste of some very invigorating coffee.

Next time, I will probably want to go up mount Brumo – but that of course is a little more active

Hogenakkal Falls

Hogenakkal or Smoke Rock (Hog-Kal) Falls, are breath-taking falls on the border of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. 150 kms from Bangalore, they make for a good day trip from the city. Bound between cities since April, I was craving for some road (and non-urban beauty), therefore our little day sojourn to Hogenakkal on a recent trip to Bangalore.

We started in the morning at 7 – taking the route from Hosur to Krishnagiri (Denkanikuttai) and then to Dharmapuri where Hogenakkal lies. Part of the route is beautiful – it passes through forests, and at this time of the year was beautifully green. There are some ghats along the way, which make for a winding drive which is thoroughly enjoyable. In the rest of the route, there are villages and small towns – not very alluring and at small stretches, the road gets rugged. There are hardly any good restaurants along the way, so we carried our own breakfast. To have your breakfast under a tree, surrounded by lush green scenery makes the food more appetizing. To us, the trip could have ended there and still been a perfect one, but I am glad we kept on moving ahead to the falls.

It took us about 4 hours to reach – tad long for the distance, but we had kept a leisure pace, stopping at places to admire the views. There are some nice places to stop around the Kaveri banks and you may find a few local picnics being enjoyed there.

On getting down from the car at Hogenakkal, we were at first taken aback by the heat and the crowd – there were so many sight-seers. Not surprising, but yet a little daunting. However, once we entered the river complex, the shade of the trees and the effect of the river cooled us down a bit. We began to enjoy the activity – people haggling with boatsmen for a coracle ride along the falls, coracles gently swaying in the placid river, and the unmistakable music of the falls. After a bit of haggling, we too found a coracle and geared up for our ride.

A coracle ride is very gentle, unlike some shaky boat rides I have been on. Boatsmen have a trick of giving the coracle a little spin in the middle of water, and that gives the otherwise calm ride a little action. Our ride involved a bit of walking both onwards and coming back, more while coming back. As we cruised through the falls, the boatsman put us under a few streams of water so that by the end of the journey we were soaked. Apparently in the summers, coracles can go even under the falls shown above, and as monsoons take over, the boating area is heavily reduced. However, while the boatsman claimed that summers were the best time to visit, given the heat I had my doubts.

In the middle of the ride, during one of the walking parts, you come across a viewing post (charged) from where you can see a good view of the falls. Some people climbed down from here and went close to the falls – we did not, as the place looked crowded a little unclean. On the side, a few people were getting oil massages – apparently hogenakkal has some famous oil massages, though frankly, the people lying on uneven grounds and rocks hardly looked very comfortable to me.

After getting out of the falls, we had lunch at the Tamil Nadu Tourism property, and the little I say about it the better – there was nothing delectable about the lunch or about the hygiene of the place. Sadly though, there are very few options available at hogenakkal and each of them looked worse than the others. The place attracts little high value tourism and no good restaurant owner has seemed to spot a potential.

The falls themselves are breathtaking (you may remember them from the movie Roja – the song Dil hai chhota sa is shot here, or from the movie Raavan which has a free-fall scene shot here). I just wished that the area was maintained better – a few dustbins would help, as would imposing strict fines on those who litter. I have never been very enthused with tourism in South India, primarily because no effort is expended in making the places comfortable.

Meeting Ganga – Harsil, Gangotri and Mukhba

(A much delayed account, thanks to much that happened and is still happening)

After spending three nice days in Harsil, amongst them a lazy day of snowfall, we decided to visit Gangotri, which till that time, I believed to be the source of river Ganga. It is 23 km north of Harsil, and is a popular pilgrimage. From May to October, the main temples in Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath (together known as the char-Dham of Uttaranchal) are opened to pilgrims. During these days, the towns see multitude of visitors, scrambling into the Ganges to get a dip into the holy river, or jostling to get a view of the temples.

Our interests in going to gangotri were mainly to see the glacier, which we realized on the way, can be reached only with a few km trek (usually two days) from Gangotri. That having dampened our spirits, we were a little disinterested in our stop at Bhaironghati – a small nondescript shiva temple. But then we stopped at a bridge (I am still trying to find the name of the place) , which was just 50 km from the Tibetan border, and the journey was interesting again. To be so close to that magical land was in itself exciting, the high cliffs and the streak of blue river flowing below made it even more wonderful. During the yatra season, there is heavy security at the place and it is strictly forbidden to click pictures, but for now, we were the rulers of the deserted land.

Some winding roads later, we reached Gangotri. As I said earlier, I have seen pictures of the place packed with pilgrims – so to meet no one except a couple of kids playing cricket at the beginning of the town was eerie. We walked through the deserted town, seeing only our shadows. Few steps ahead, a small shop was open to almost no business – the shopkeeper was happy to meet our needs of chocolates (cravings of city people). We walked to the river, which seemed so fresh and violent here, ready to take on the world. The temple was equally placid.

We decided to see a bit of the town amidst locked houses. During the non-yatra season, all establishments are shut down and people migrate down to Uttarkashi. They come back one week before the Yatra to clean/repair the places and make them ready for the torrent of visitors. We saw some repair work in a couple of ashrams, and even counting the labor there, we met just about a dozen people in the town.

In Gangotri are the sprightly Suryakund waterfalls. The local guy accompanying us told us a few stories about how the waterfalls were formed by the footprints of Bhima. As per the local legend, Gangotri was one of the places the Pandavas visited during their exile. At a distance of 1.5 km from the waterfall is Pandava Gufa – the cave where Pandavas established shelter. The walk to this cave was pretty with heavy bushes and trees, outlined by Himalyan peaks on one side. It was an easy and lovely walk, except that we had to cross a glacier on the way, and none of our shoes were ready to take the slip. We managed somehow , but the thought of returning through the same glacier constantly played on our minds while we walked to the cave. Especially since the day was coming to a close.

Before we had left for Gangotri, we had spent the morning enjoying the sunshine after the snow in Harsil. Everything was shining brightly, reflected in the melting snow. We walked down to the river, which seemed far less sedate than the previous day. The heavy rain had given it a new life. Touching the water sent shivers up to each part of the body, so cold was the water.

The next day, we went walking to yet another neighboring village – Mukhba. One of the things that Mukhba is famous for is the Ganges temple, where the idol of Ganga is placed for the 6 months when it is not in gangotri. The walk to Mukhba goes along the river. Somewhere close to the village, we climbed down to the river to spend sometime there. The view was especially pretty, something neither of us could get enough of. We walked near the river for a long distance, hoping to reach the bridge which crossed to the other side of Mukhba – only to realize that we had snooked ourselves in. The only way out was to either walk back the entire distance, or climb through walls and bushes. We chose the latter, and a few scratches later, were up on the bridge.

Somehow, we never reached the temple which we had set out towards – none of us is particularly religious, it was very sunny and the temple was at a steep climb. When two of the company gave up and decided to go down for food instead, we were easily swayed.

A sumptuous meal and a walk back later, we were in Harsil again. Not having enough of the river, we took another short walk to the other end of the hamlet and reached the riverside behind a temple. There is a flight of stairs, which leads straight to the river. At a short distance, three small rivers meet. The spot is magical. On the riverside are big round stones, perfect to enjoy the scene lying down or sitting up. On the other side of the river is the ever-encompassing Himalyan outline. Above is clear blue sky. More you cannot need here.

The hamlet called Harsil

Another year, another destination, another set of friends for company…

To go to a place no one has gone before is hardly my dream. I am not an adventurer and like to walk on trodden paths. However, even with my love for civilization, I do fear to walk a well-beaten track. I am forever hunting for those lesser known abodes where I could find a hotel room, yet not be disturbed by a crowd of vacationers. May be that’s why I am inclined to travel off-season.

So this year I chose a destination seldom seen on a tourist map. I heard of it from my parents, who had stayed a night there during their char-Dham trip in Uttarakhand. They seemed enamored, and I was sufficiently intrigued by the single photo they had taken of the place. The place was a Himalyan hamlet, Harsil, on the bank of Bhagirathi, 23 kms away from Gangotri.

It was difficult to find the best way to get to Harsil. A hired taxi from Delhi could be a comfortable way, but I have not had great experience with Delhi drivers in extreme hills, especially in places where there is likely to be snow. Besides, the cost of hiring a 4-wheel drive for 8 days is high. So after landing in Delhi, we decided to take an overnight volvo to Dehradun in Uttarakhand and then explore options for onward journey. It would have been a comfortable journey, had the driver not been a maniac who loved to brake and horn. So it was a very sleepy and annoyed group which alighted the bus at Dehradun, 4:30 in the morning. The air was crisp, sharply so – a foreboding of the holiday to come. At the bus stand that we got off, ISBT, there were buses available to go Uttarkashi at infrequent intervals – the schedule was not advertised or displayed. At 5:15, in the middle of a tea-break, we were rushed into a bus that was leaving for Uttarkashi – there was no time to think of options. Apparently choice comes with homework.

The bus ride was not bad, except that it went on for 6.5 hours and the last 2-3 hours were on a rough road which circled the same valley endlessly – we believed we were in throes of hell, bound to circle the river forever. But the worse was not yet over. From Uttarkashi to Harsil we had to cover another 70 kms with another maniacal driver who had a terrible taste in music. After two hours of a back breaking journey, we alighted with relief, happy to have finally arrived to the possibility of a bath, food and some space to move our crampled legs. The temperature at Harsil was a shock (9 deg), lowest I have seen in April. The evening slumbered in a sumptuous meal, a warm bath, a quiet admiration of the beautiful river and a long bon-fire in the GMVN Tourist bungalow lawn. We were ill-equipped to deal with the cold and had to buy some local woolens, not to mention a local sim since BSNL was the only working network in the area.

The next day was sunny and we could finally see the beautiful snow-capped peaks that surrounded us. It is difficult to describe how such a beautiful valley affects the city-dweller, who even despite the cold wants to go out and soak in every bit. We decided to do the Sattal trek, the area of seven lakes which was about 4-4.5 kms from Harsil, almost 800 m above the village.

The trek is a little steep, especially if you are not used to the thin air. We had a good time climbing up, with frequent breaks. The path goes through thick (and rich) Deodar forests, passes through another village (Dharali) and is lined with many blossoms, some blooming, other dry like a dying old man. On the way we were stopped by a very drunk farmer, who insisted that we come inside his place, have tea and lunch with him. We accepted the invitation to visit his house, declining the food and tea. The women of his house seemed embarrased of his drunk and boisterous behavior. They were also sad about having to live in this small, cold village, just having arrived from Uttarkashi which is their warm, urban, winter abode. It was easy to understand their distress, as it was easy for them to understand why we had chosen to holiday here. Sometimes it is easy for people to exchange shoes.

On the way to Sattal, we often found heaps of snow which looked fresh. When we arrived at the first lake, we found the path to other lakes covered in thick sheets of snow and decided to end our trek there. Sattal is a nice place to trek to – there is no civilization in the vicinity and the place is soothingly calm. The sound of a small stream of water and flutter of the wind are the only things you hear. In an Urban existence, such moments are only a handful.

By the time we returned from Sattal, the weather turned to cold and windy. It soon began to rain – so after a hot maggi at a local restaurant, we hid in our rooms and in the comfort of quilts and heaters.

The turn of the weather continued to the next day, with most of the day drenched in rain. We set abode in one of the glasshouses in the lawns of the tourist bungalows, enjoying the surrounding scenery through glass. It was one of those days ordained for Pictionaries, Dumb charades, poker and banter. Soon after lunch, the rain turned to snow and the whole place covered itself with a white sheet. The snowfall continued for four hours; for a few moments we were worried about road blocks and being snowed in for a longer time than we had planned for. The mundane urban worries.

To be continued…

Siem Reap

Siem Reap is a poetic town – powerful under its simplicity. Perhaps it derives power from holding the gates to those ruins which resound with countless prayers.

After hours of traveling on a straight, unmarked, almost frightening road from Poipet, the glitters of of Siem Reap hotels held a promise. A beautiful tuk-tuk ride from the stand to our hotel showed glimpses of the colorful evenings in store: Angkor night market, Siem Reap night market, the melodious Pub Street. If I had not been traveling for 22 hours, I would have loved to stop on the way for the gentle breeze, near the river. But, instead, our tuk-tuk drove over a small bridge, and delivered us to a place which was home for next 3 nights – Golden Temple. The stops on the way seemed well worth missing for the lovely welcome at the place – I had not seen so much smiling in a long long time. How a smile affects, when it seems to be coming from within.

The faces of Bayon which I was yet to see and fall in love with, were recreated in this place next to the pool – and reflected with the shining, gently swinging water (a quiet swimmer was using the pool), they seemed enchanting.

Of course I spent a lot of my Siem Reap time in the archaeological park of Angkor, which is around  6km away from the main town, but even outside, the city seemed perfect for a blessed stay. After a hectic day in Angkor, being driven in a tuk-tuk by ‘Moon’, coming to Pub street is most satisfying. Lines of cafes spilling on the street. Music, sometime loud, but mostly quiet, gives a sweet backdrop to the Happy Hour drinking which continues in the place seemingly forever. Tanks of fish sporadically dot the place, with feets dipped into them for the delight of the fish.

Over drinks, people are scanning through their photographs of the day, or pouring over maps to make plans for the morrow. A lovely dinner at Le Tigre De Papier satisfies hunger; more drinks can follow at Angkorwhat? or the Red Piano. And there is the Apsara dance in one of the restaurants upstairs – exotic, enjoyable.

On one of the days, we took cycles from our hotel and cycled around town. We first went to the Angkor area, through highways and tiny streets difficult to navigate. Cycled back to a park where lovely photos of African tribes were exhibited on bamboo stilts, with no one to look after them. Cycled around the river several times, then to the fruit market – bought many exotic fruits and ate them around the riverside. Everything was so Sunday like on that half-sunny, half clouded day which was not marred by the heat.

There is an excitement in heavy bargaining at the night markets, negotiating over knick-knacks. There’s joy in watching a full-moon in a clear sky, un-doted with  tall, ugly buildings. But most of all, there is a lot of fun in walking to the city at midnight in search of food after a live band party at the youth hostel next door.

 

Angkorwat

Faces of Stone

There is much that is captivating in the stones of Angkor, but nothing, almost nothing can surpass the beauty of these many hard, silent faces that are carved in the temple of Bayon. From afar, they look like a chaotic crowd, but when you meet them in the face, they are resolute, majestic and immovably calm.

More on beautiful Angkorwat soon.

 

A journey to Angkorwat

For long I have wanted to visit those beautiful temples and ruins of Angkorwat. The image of those temples, especially remembered from Tony Leung’s emotional and heartbreaking rendezvous with those stones at the end of ‘In the mood for love’, has made me yearn to go.

And finally I am going. Clubbed with a new year in Thailand with friends (something we fleetingly discussed in the last few days on campus, and look how long it has taken to get there), I am going to Cambodia for 6 days – 4 out of which will be spent in the beautiful Siem Reap. Another 2 in Phnom Penh. And then to Bangkok, Ko Samui and Krabi.

Our original plan also featured Vietnam, but it was difficult to visit Hanoi or Halong Bay in the given time without taking the air route. And Ho Chi Minh did not seem worth the trouble to give the passport away for 3-4 days, as the other visas needed to be done.

Talking of visas – the Cambodia visa process was a delight – they have a smooth online application process, where all you need to do is upload your photo, pay 25 USD, and in 2 days the visa is in your mailbox – wish all visas could be that easy.

For Thailand, there was a little struggle – I requested for a multiple entry visa, as we will be crossing the border twice – and they stamped only a Single entry. Though they did say that I would get a visa on arrival when entering for the second time, just to be sure I requested for an extension – and surprisingly, the authorities did stamp that!

So we are planning to land at the Bangkok airport, take a bus to the Cambodia border (Aranyaprathet-Poipet), and then another bus into Siem Reap.

I am so excited!

Travel Wishlist

Every time I begin to plan a vacation, I stumble with the choice of destinations. L would be closed down for winters, I will have too much crowd, need three months to plan for P (will that ever happen?), need 3 weeks to go to A, it will be too hot in E…You get the picture, it is always too hard to decide. In the end, overwhelmed by the choice and hassles, I pick up something that has just flashed before my eyes – a newspaper article, a Make my trip advertisement or a friend’s recent trip.
I should come up with a list of my to-visit places, which I can keep ready along with the information on admin requirements for each, to sail along smoothly.
So what are some of the best places you have visited which I should consider for this list?
Here’s what I already have in mind:
1. Patagonia
2. Ladhakh
3. Tibet
4. Angkorwat (which hopefully I will see in a month)
5. Hampi
6. Andaman
7. Laya Gassa trek in Bhutan
8. Arunachal Pradesh