The cool and fresh night air of Peru hit us in the face as we exited Lima’s airport. Our tour guide was surprised to learn that we had actually come from India and not USA or UK. The sparse number of Indians travelling to Peru from India can be attributed to the poor connectivity between the two countries.

First we went to see Pachacamac on the outskirts of Lima, a traditional ceremonial centre of the pre-Inca period. We also visited Larco Herrera Museum which houses ancient Peruvian artefacts that are up to 4000 years old. The next day we flew to Cusco, the cultural capital of pre-Spanish Peru. We visited the well-preserved Spanish quarter. Most of the monuments and temples there had been converted into cathedrals and such during the Spanish conquest. However, the tour guides take care to point out the original architecture that can still be seen in some of the buildings. For example, Santo Domingo convent was built over an Inca temple dedicated to the sun and moon. The Saksaywaman Inca fortress in Cusco is an interesting fortress built entirely of huge stones fitted so precisely that they required no mortar. Our evening ended with a Peruvian dance show.

The next day we went by car to the Sacred Valley, a region in Peru’s Andean Highlands, which is on the way to Machu Picchu. It is a long valley which is good for agriculture and has the Urubamba River snaking through it. We also stopped at the Pisac Ruins which looked like the ruins of step farming on a large scale from the Inca period. They also had huts at the top of the farm which were used to keep an eye on the farm and protect it from enemies.

We took a train from the Ollantaytambo train station and found ourselves in the quaint village of Aguas Calientes. We walked to the bus station early morning to catch a bus to Machu Picchu — the real money-maker of Peru. The bus wove through the scenic mountains that were dotted with trekkers and all of a sudden Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu loomed ahead of us. Huayna Picchu is so popular that the trek needs to be booked months in advance since only around 400 tourists are allowed per day. Upon our descent, we received a crash course on the Inca Citadel, the Palace of the Princess, The Temple of the Sun and so on to prepare us for the ‘lost’ city itself. The ruins indicated how meticulously the city had been planned and how advanced it was in comparison to other Incan ruins. We returned to Cusco via Vistadome, the scenic train ride, in which professional attendants waited on us and entertainment was arranged.

After spending the night in Cusco we departed for Puno in order to visit the world’s highest navigable lake, Lake Titicaca. Interestingly, the border between Peru and Bolivia cuts through this lake. We toured the lake by boat and our first stop was Uros, man-made islands built from totora reeds, which are populated by families living in boat houses. Another island worth visiting in this ocean-like-lake is the Taquile Island.

It seems like eating is a favourite pastime of the Peruvians as it was not uncommon to see restaurants stuffed with people. Roasted guinea pigs, 2,000 local varieties of potatoes and quinoa are the local favourites.

Finally, we returned to Lima and completed our city tour by hitting spots like the Main Plazas, the Presidential Palace, San Francisco Church and the Catacombs.

How to get there

• We took a tour package from a travel agency called ‘Peru Best Tours.
• We took round flights of Delta Airlines and the cost for two people came to about Rs 4,35,000.

Where to stay

• In Lima, we stayed at JW Marriott
• In Cusco, we stayed at Aranwa Boutique Hotel and JW Marriott
• In Aguas Calientes, we stayed at El Pueblo Inkaterra
• In Puno, we stayed at Libertador
• The total cost was approximately Rs 3,94,000 for two of us including boarding, lodging, private guided tours etc.

First Published in deccanherald.com

Ever since I first learnt of the ancient Egyptian civilisation back in school, I have had the desire to visit Egypt. More recently, as my kids started learning about Egypt,I decided to visit this rich and ancient land with my family.

And so we embarked on our journey. I was told about the bakshish (the same word that we use in India) culture and paid a lump sum to the travel agent together with the advance, to be used for tipping at each place we visited.

As our plane approached Cairo, I looked out and noticed mud-coloured multi-storeyed buildings in the middle of the desert. Compared to vibrant Rajasthan, this monochromatic sight was curious; later, I learnt that plastering the exterior of buildings attracts more tax there.

It being October we were expecting pleasant climate, but it was mostly warm but tolerable.

Our first evening there, we went to see the light and sound show at the Pyramids. Now while we have seen images of them on television and in books, seeing them in person makes you realise just how imposing they are! We enjoyed the show and returned the next day to have a closer look.

On our second trip, we reached late having encountered a traffic jam worse than Bengaluru’s infamous traffic snarls. Ay one point our driver even had to drive in reverse about a hundred meters to take another, circuitous route to escape the jam. This route provided us a glimpse of the actual city (off the tourist route) which was more or less similar to parts of any Indian city ie strewn garbage, open gutters and donkeys wandering about.

And while our journey offered many wondrous sights, all through we were told (on several occasions) the history of the polytheist Pharaohs followed by the advent of Christianity and then Islam.

Like India, Egypt has a long, rich history

As we travelled we realised the many similarities between India and Egypt. Like India, Egypt has a long, rich history (on a few occasions I found myself correcting my guide as he started mixing up AD and BC while talking about the Romans in Egypt). Pharaoh art and fables are also similar to ancient Indian mythology — full of nature, animals and birds.

Our next stop was King Tutankhamen’s tomb (discovered in the Valley of Kings at Luxor), which is showcased at the Egyptian Museum. This museum is mammoth and provides fascinating information on a host of topics including the process of mummification and hieroglyphs (So fascinated were my kids with the hieroglyphs that we were forced to buy an Egyptian-style family nameplate).

All around are shops selling oil-based perfumes (attar), each having its own unique fragrance and some even resembling popular international fragrances. Wearing perfume is a very old tradition here and is seen in many Pharaonic paintings as well.

We then visited the high-security Khan-al-Khalili market, in Cairo. Having witnessed terrorist attacks a few times in the past, heavy security was present at every hotel with every bag being scanned.

Near the market stands the impressive Al-Hussein mosque that was built some thousand years back and named after Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Husayn ibn Ali.

Amr ibn El-Aas, an Arab conqueror, brought Islam to Egypt and a mosque was built (the oldest in Egypt) at the spot where he is supposed to have camped. The Muhammad Ali mosque and Al Azhar mosque are also worth a visit.

Revisiting history

The next day we travelled to the old sector of Cairo, also known as the Coptic part of the city. Remnants of the ancient Roman wall and the Babylon Fortress, dated a few centuries BC, can be seen today. Interestingly, Babylon is just the name of the fortress and has nothing to do with the actual city of Babylon, which is in present-day Iraq.

We then visited the Hanging Church, named so because it was built above a fortress gate with its nave suspended over the passage. Onwards to the Abu Serga Church where Jesus Christ, as an infant, came to live with his parents. In the same complex, stands the Ben Ezra Synagogue, which was once a church. Coptic Christians sold it to the Jews to enable them to pay taxes to the Muslim rulers. The Jews later converted it into a synagogue.

Later that evening, we boarded for a cruise along the river Nile. The reflection of the many coloured lights together with shows on the cruise completed our day; however, the gyrations of the belly dancer were a bit too much for our young family.

Pearl of the Mediterranean

We left Cairo early the following morning to beat the traffic on our visit to the Suez Canal. After a brief stopover, we proceeded to Alexandria. This is the city where the story of Cleopatra and her famous love affair with Mark Antony took place. Alexandria is certainly the Pearl of the Mediterranean — it is beautiful and entirely different from Cairo, being more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern.

The famous lighthouse that used to be one of the ancient wonders is replaced by the Citadel of Qaitbay, an impressive building. The famous old library which was one of the largest in ancient times was destroyed by fire. A new library stands near the old one, overlooking the Mediterranean, which was inaugurated recently. It is very modern, spacious and worth a visit.

Next we went to Pompey Pillar, the name is a misnomer because for long people believed it to carry the Roman General, Pompey’s, ashes, but finally, it was learnt that, it was built in honour of a Roman emperor. Near the Pillar lie the Catacombs that have underground chambers adorned with beautiful paintings and carvings. This are quite different from the ones I had seen in Rome; they were built for the burial for the ancient Egyptians and not for deceased Christians as in the case of Rome. Also the size of this catacomb is smaller than Rome’s.

A welcome break

We visited the Montazah Palace next, which was built for the royal family around a hundred years ago. It has a big park, a welcome break after the hectic sightseeing earlier in the day. We spent some time there and then returned to our hotel. To our surprise we received two cakes from the hotel as it was my son’s birthday; we celebrated it in the suite, overlooking the Mediterranean. Occasionally the conversation would touch upon the mystery shrouding Alexander’s missing tomb and how the people in Alexandria are still optimistic about finding it here.

We took a flight from Alexandria the next day for Luxor. En route we were greeted with a view that will stay with me forever. A huge canvas with a blue stripe down the centre between green patches that in turn gave way to golden on either side in the midst of a golden desert, the blue waters of the Nile flowing through green vegetation along its banks. I wonder why they did not choose these colours for the Egyptian flag!

The city of Luxor is an open-air museum as every nook and corner is full of history. We first stopped at the Valley of Kings, the burial grounds for quite a few generations of Pharaoh. They chose this style of burial since the Pyramids were very visible and prone to be robbed. There are a number of tombs but only a few are open to visitors. Each tomb has a few chambers that are adorned with paintings and carvings. All the valuable articles that were once housed here have been shifted to different museums.

Visiting temples in Luxor

Next we stopped at the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, who is said to have dressed like a man so as to rule Egypt. Nearby, we could see the Colossi of Memnon, two huge statues, located in an open field and quite damaged.

The Temple of Karnak, around 3,500 years old and built over a period of thousand years, was our next stop and was certainly a very impressive one. The lighting arrangement and painting on pillars, columns and ceilings are amazing, but the most important is its hypostyle hall, which is famous for its architectural masterpiece. It has a sacred lake too, just like any Hindu temple.

The Temple of Luxor followed. In ancient times, festival processions used to start from Karnak and finish at Luxor. We spent half a day touring Luxor (though one can spend couple of days there) and boarded a train to Aswan the same evening.

We reached our hotel (situated on an island in the Nile) by boat. In one day, we travelled from Alexandria to Aswan and took four modes of transportation — air, car, train and boat. Sadly we did not take the famous Nile river cruise, since the kids had to attend school.

Cruising on the Nile

We got up very early the next morning to join the convoy of vehicles to Abu Simbel. Since this part of Egypt is not safe for road travel, tourists have to travel in a convoy under police protection. It was a unique experience to cover 280 km in around three hours driving through the desert with no traffic interruptions.

We reached Abu Simbel, bordering Sudan. Thanks to the construction of High Dam at Aswan some 40 years back and the formation of Lake Nasser in Nile, the temple was transferred to a nearby safe location.

The temples (actually there are two) are very beautiful and certainly worth the effort to reach. These were built in the thirteenth century BC. The first one was built by the Pharoah Ramesses II and the second was of his wife Nefertari, both dedicating each to different gods.

We returned to Aswan by afternoon and visited the High Dam and unfinished Obelisk. The trip was rounded off by a felucca ride on the Nile. The ride gave us time to reflect on all we had seen.

Similar to Asian culture, the joint family concept is predominant in Egypt too, where sons build a new floor to their parental house, if they could afford to. We wondered whether the economic growth would shift them to a nuclear family. It might not, as Egypt’s population is smaller and there are only a few big cities which are still meeting their needs.

Back home now, we still recollect fondly our visit to the centre of one of the greatest ancient civilisations.
First Published in Rediff.com

This summer I took my family to China and at the airport in Beijing we realized that over there, all Indians are called Hindus.As also the fact thatmost Chinese arefascinated by Indianwomen likemy wife and daughter because cultural revolution discouraged women from having long hair,wearing jewellery and makeup.

We spoke simple English to our guide, who was a mine of information about the Middle Kingdom. She took us sightseeing and on passing trees from which cottonlike flowers fell, she proudly told us that this would soon be a thing of the past because the government had decided to replace these ‘female’ trees with male ones to avoid inconvenience to tourists. We were in the land where anything is possible.

The Great wall, like any tourist spot in India, was very crowded. The Forbidden City, right in the middle of Beijing, was spread over a vast area. But it paled in comparison with the grandeur of our palaces. The pace of sightseeing was hindered by numerous requests from locals for photo shoots with my wife and daughter, unusual women as far as the Chinese are concerned.

At Xian, the Terracotta army complex is a must-see but the big surprise was the Wild Goose Pagoda. It is associated with Hiuen Tsang, who famously travelled to India in the seventh century. The museum has a collection of articles he carried back from India. Every Chinese seemed to know one of their most famous stories, ‘Journey to the West’, and the “West” in this case means India. Stone tablets bearing Sanskrit verses, along with their Chinese translations, can be seen in the Stone Steles Museum. Clearly, they were intelligently copying back then as well.

It should not be surprising but the biggest link between India and China may be the attitude to daughters. The guide, who was planning her wedding, said the financial burden had shifted to prospective Chinese grooms because of the poor sex ratio.

First Published in Times of India

Deepti and Utkarsh Rai, who recently travelled to China share their unforgettable experiences with us.

I took my family on vacation to China, one of the most talked-about countries in recent times. As soon as I landed in Beijing, I heard someone refer to me as a Hindu and wondered why they had started profiling tourists based on religion, but soon I realised that all Indians are called Hindus.

Stepping out of Beijing Airport, I could easily see the massive steps the country has undertaken to improve its infrastructure. However, looking at the sky I witnessed firsthand the much-mentioned ‘haze’ in spite of the Government’s efforts. I met my guide and adjusted myself to speak simple and short English sentences to get the desired reply.

Our first stop was at the famous ‘Egg’, The National Grand Theatre that opened recently and can house five thousand people at a time. It is an architect’s attraction too. A very modern building with three halls, one each for opera, music and theatre and located quite close to the Tiananmen Square. This famous square, with Mao Zedong’s huge portrait adorning one side, was shown several times on television during the protests of 1989. But no TV can do justice to capture the vastness of this landmark.

This was once the garden of the adjoining Forbidden City, the residence of the king and royal families for around six centuries. Its access was off-limits to common people, hence the name. One requires good walking shoes to cover hundreds of buildings in this complex.

In China, most such buildings were constructed using wood and were burned down during any power struggle, but the Forbidden City is in pretty good condition, since it was a functional palace until some sixty years ago.

The Forbidden City and the Great Wall

Though ornate and brightly-coloured, the royal buildings in China lack intricate architecture.

Naturally, I compared them to the great palaces in India. In comparison to ours, very few artifacts exist inside. This is because most of them were looted or destroyed during the Cultural Revolution that took place a few decades ago. According to one of my guides, the Government had appealed to the people to return the artifacts, in case they had any in their possession.

Although China faced several external attacks in the old days, one of the main threats was from Mongolia, for which they built the Great Wall some two thousand years back. This may be the reason why their palaces were simple and lacked major consideration when it came to protection, like secret passages, tunnels and multiple doors. Our Indian palaces were fortified to such an extent that even opium-fed elephants running amok could not break through the main entrances.

I chose the Badaling section of the Great Wall as my next stop, due to its proximity to the famous Ming Tomb (which is definitely worth a visit), even though I had heard that there were other, less crowded sections of the Wall that provided a better view. It is no exaggeration to say that the sight was breathtaking and certainly deserves a place among one of the wonders of the world. One can take a cable car or just stroll a short distance, but the place was so crowded that I didn’t get any quiet time to revel in its beauty and enormity.

The Bird’s Nest, Beijing Zoo and more

The next day we went to see the Summer Palace, located inside the city. It is a huge complex with a very beautiful garden and lake. The short boatride was certainly refreshing. The story of Empress Cixi’s lust for power and her appointing of the last Emperor of China were narrated by my guide. This story revolves around Beijing and the Oscar-winning movie The Last Emperor has depicted it accurately.

The Temple of Heaven was another imposing structure, which is surrounded by a beautiful garden and is full of domestic tourists. As China has only recently opened its doors to the outside world, most of locals have not interacted much with foreigners and they made several requests for photographs alongside my family. I could see embarrassment on my guide’s face and she clarified further that people were also curious to see our long hair and jewellery, which was uncommon during the Cultural Revolution.

Since the 2008 Olympics, I have been eager to see the Bird’s Nest (the Olympic stadium) and the Water Cube (the aquatic centre). They are certainly eye-catching and a popular picnic spot for domestic tourists.

We managed to steal some time out of our schedule to make a quick stopover at the Beijing Zoo and visit the section housing the Giant Pandas. It was an experience equally exciting for both children and us adults.

No trip to China is complete without retail therapy. Our shopping experience at the Silk Street Mall (which receives tens of thousands of visitors everyday) in Beijing was unique, even for Indians who are supposed to be good at bargaining.

This place requires superior haggling skills, where patience and a smiling face are the main factors that decide who will blink first. ‘Are you joking?’ is what you’re inevitably subjected to when you quote a price.

The non-branded items were cheap and of a reasonably good quality, barring the watches — and your luck in securing these items plays a major role. It is a common sight to see foreign shoppers buying so much that they end up with extra baggage at the airport.

Our next stop was the city of Xi’an, one of the four ancient capitals of China.

The Hanyang Tomb near the airport is over two thousand years old and well-preserved. It provides a glimpse of what one can expect when visiting the world-famous Terracotta Army complex, also in Xi’an. Our guide took us to a pottery factory before we got to the Terracotta Army, on the pretext of explaining the different ranks of the army. However, we landed up buying an expensive souvenir in the name of quality and later found that the same thing was available much cheaper nearer the complex.

This complex is huge and was built by the self-declared first emperor of China (Qin Shi Huang) in the second century BC, to preserve his dead body. He started this project during his lifetime and started burying all types of figurines of army men and animals and many day-to-day objects, which he would require in his next life.

The excavation work is still underway to find more of these warriors. Xi’an was one of the origination points of the ancient Silk Route, and Muslims have settled here since the seventh century. We strolled along the street and got to see a Chinese-style mosque. Later, we took part in a Chinese tea ceremony, but I still prefer my masala tea!

After this we proceeded to watch a shadow play, which was interesting — it reminded me of our puppet shows. Old Xian City was fortified and its walls are still well-maintained to walk or ride a bicycle along and relax after a hectic day of sightseeing.

Shanghai: Better English, less sincerity

The biggest surprise of my visit was the Wild Goose Pagoda at Xi’an. I never realised that this was associated with Hiuen Tsang (as his Chinese name was different), the famous Chinese traveller who came to India in the sixth century. He built this pagoda upon his return from India.

The museum at the Pagoda has a collection of articles which he carried back from India including Hindu idols and religious books. These books were translated into Chinese.

We also visited Stone Steles Museum, where ancient Chinese history was written on stones. There were even a few stone tablets with Sanskrit verses inscribed alongside their Chinese translations — it was heartening to see this.

The famous story ‘Journey to the West’ (‘West’ here means India), written some six hundred years ago is well-known to all Chinese and they associate themselves with India in spiritual and religious learnings.

Next we went to Shanghai and the difference was visible as soon as I met the new guide. The sincerity was missing, but the command on English was better. A fast life and the urge to make a fast buck was evident.

Just like the Lama Temple in Beijing, the Jade Buddha Temple here, which houses a jade statue of Buddha, is used for pujas and ceremonies. Jade is found in abundance and considered a pious stone in China. Every woman wears one or two simple jewellery items made from it.

The famous Nanjing Road of Shanghai was worth a walk, although there isn’t anything in particular to see. The embankment along the river, called The Bund (an English term, of course) provided a view of two distinct types of architecture from two different periods.

Old Shanghai is around a hundred years old and the new city, which is built on the other side of the river, is hardly a decade old. A walk on The Bund or a boatride can provide a refreshing change from the hustle and bustle of city life. Shopping near Yuyuan Garden was also an experience, although the garden itself is not extraordinary. The garden in Suzohu (our next stop), however, was certainly worth a visit.

Hong Kong has many attractions despite being a small island

We went to Suzhou by road, which afforded a glimpse of the rapid speed of industrialisation in China. The first stop was Tongli Water Town, a well-preserved tourist spot with water lanes (no comparison with Kumarakom or Venice). Later, we visited a silk factory and got to know that possessing a silk mattress (not just the coverlets!) is a symbol of wealth in China.

Our last stop was Hong Kong, which has many attractions despite being a small island. One should visit Victoria Peak to get a good view of the skyline and the small beach called Repulse Bay.

The seafood dinner cruise is enjoyable, but when you stroll the lane surrounded by aquatic animals performing tricks in the open or inside the huge aquarium, some people are known to get dizzy. I enjoyed the food and my vegetarian wife got something to munch on too.

The cable car ride to a statue of Buddha near the airport is a must. You may prefer to skip a visit to the jade, bird and flower markets. Ten thousand Buddhist temples and the Avenue of Stars were other attractions of the city. We stopped at one famous Taoist temple, where people were using bamboo sticks to tell fortunes.

Lasting impressions

Indian restaurants are present in almost all the major Chinese cities, but India is hardly covered in their press and mentioned only in the context of something mystic, funny or very important. They are obsessed with the USA and Europe. Aping America is so over the top that the Chinese have ditched their traditional wedding gowns for white ones.

Hollywood movies decide the local fashion. The striking changes that their society is undergoing are like any other Asian country; they too have a preference for the male child, but together with China’s one-child policy, this has adversely impacted the sex ratio with more sons being born than daughters.

The girls, however, are benefitting from this as the financial burden has shifted onto their prospective grooms. One of the female guides commented that she wants a boyfriend who is good-looking, owns an apartment, has enough money to buy a car and has a good job.

Although the Chinese people have a reputation when it comes to physical fitness due to their preference for green tea, walking and cycling, obesity is affecting the younger generations due to the advent of wealth, junk foods and sodas.

The strong central government in China acts fast and is capable of changing the direction of the country in no time. It was in the early fifteenth century that a strong Chinese Navy was dismantled, suddenly paving the way for European dominance and colonisation thereafter. But at this time they appear to be more conscious of their image in the world and they have a strong desire to grab the title of most powerful nation on earth at the earliest.
First Published in Rediff.com

Today Athens, however, looks a lot like any other city of the world. Apart from the ancient temples and structures built in accordance with the Grecian style of architecture dotting the landscape, Athens is a modern city bustling with activity and traffic jams. We got delayed on our way to the Temple of Zeus and the Parthenon due to a protest rally held by teachers in front of the Greek Parliament. But instead of feeling upset, I felt right at home.

No tour to Greece is complete without ogling at the Mediterranean Sea whose clear, crystal blue waters are breathtaking. Naturally, we took a cruise to see a few Greek islands whose white washed Greek houses, cobbled pathways and quiet blue waves lapping at the sparkling white sand made the region feel serene and quaint.

We also made our way to the UNESCO World Heritage site Metéora which translates to “in the heavens above” and contains several orthodox Christian monasteries located in mountain peaks. Their resemblance to religious Hindu shrines located at mountain peaks all over India was striking.

Our trip included a visit to Delphi which was said to be the home of Apollo’s Oracle. Our tour guide had excitedly shown us a statue of a woman wearing a costume that looked a lot like a sari inside the museum of Delphi.

It was interesting to note that the ancient Greeks, who were pagans, were Sun worshippers just like Hindus. Their deities also used to face the East so that the first rays of the rising sun would illuminate their features. We visited many ancient pagan temples which can be found in every nook and cranny of Greece each one bedecked in their symbolic Grecian pillars and triangular roofs.

The star attraction of Greece for us was Olympia- birthplace of the Olympics. We were astonished to learn that the Temple of Zeus had been built from the money collected in the form of fines from athletes who used unfair means to win. And since there was no social media back then to burst into outrage over the use of performance enhancing drugs, the ancient Greeks took to engraving the wrong doers’ names for eternal public humiliation.

Finally, we visited the town of Epidaurus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site whose most famous attraction is the Epidaurus Amphitheatre. It is a masterpiece in engineering as well as in architecture. Apart from its striking symmetry, this amphitheatre has excellent acoustics. One can hear every word of the speaker clearly without a mic regardless of one’s seat. Our tour guide made us all sit randomly throughout the theatre while my daughter sang ‘Vande Mataram’ on stage to demonstrate the Epidaurus Amphitheatre’s most striking feature.

Thousands of years ago, two neighbouring kingdoms- one Hindu and one Buddhist decided to pit their architectural skills against each other. This competition resulted in Yogyakarta’s most stunning tourist attractions. The Buddhist Borobudur Temple and the Hindu Prambanan Temple.

The Borobudur Temple, a Mahayan Buddhist Temple, is built on nine stacked platforms. The lower platforms were square in shape while the higher ones were circular. The monument is topped with a grand, circular dome. The temple is home to thousands of panels depicting the life of Buddha and scenes from the Jataka Tales in excruciating and captivating detail. Around the central dome about 70 Buddha statues were seated; each covered by a perforated stupa.

Overlooking the two temples is Mount Merapi which translates to “Fire Mountain” since it’s an active volcano and its past eruptions have damaged both the temples. Thus, several of these perforated stupas was broken and tourists could reach in and touch the Buddha statue. This is considered to be good luck. If you close your eyes, touch the statues and make a wish it’s likely to come true.

The Prambanan Temple was not as lucky as the Borubudur.due to paucity of funds.  It is now a large set of ruins with a few intact temples, but with a little bit of imagination you can picture its magnificence in your mind’s eye. At least, that’s what I did.

We left Yogyakarta after that and head off to Bali. Bali is one of the most popular tourist spots in Indonesia. Interestingly, right outside Bali airport was a huge tapestry depicting a scene from the Mahabharat. The island is inhabited by Hindus who ran away from Java to escape religious conversion. Incidentally, the day we landed was the day some terrorists decided to bomb a restaurant in Bali. A restaurant we were planning to go to until we cancelled last minute. Fate? Probably.

Luckily for us, we visited Bali during Dussehra and natives there were celebrating a festival where they worshipped their ancestors. Its similarity to the “Pitr Paksha” festival in India was uncanny. Bali was lit up with decorated temples and the sweet smell of incense was wafting through the air. Bali is a Hindu island, when the Islam was getting spread in Java, some of Hindus came to Bali to preserve the religion. There are many temples, beautiful sight seeing spots, beaches and many more. A visit to Ubud, the cultural center of Bali, is a must.

The second Bali bombing happened during our stay and that day we planned to have dinner at Kuta. Thanks to my daughter who was very tired and forced us to have dinner in our hotel at Nusa Dua. We were unaware of the bombing and early morning we went to island for snorkelling. My parents and friends were trying to reach us and became very worried. Only after our return to hotel we could make contact with them.

You cannot visit Bali and not experience one of their cultural shows. Cultural shows are my absolute favourite thing. I make it a point to attend a cultural show in every country I visit. In Bali I was treated to a spectacular performance of a Ramayan ballet performed by dancers clothed in the traditional garb.

We ended the trip with a visit to an underground cave in another one of Indonesia’s islands. This underground cave was built by a man who wished to experience the life the Pandavs led during their period of exile.

The Hindi-Tamil language row occurred in Mauritius when a few years back; the banknotes had swapped the order between Tamil and Hindi, forcing the government to withdraw such notes. In their banknotes, they first write in English, followed by Tamil (as they came earlier than the Bhojpuri speaking people) and then in Hindi.

The “Ganga Talao”, a sacred lake having water mixed from various religious places of India, is the centre of all religious activity. Our curiosity took us to a few houses where the basil plants in their aangan welcomed us. People visit India mostly for wedding shopping and our guide showed us a wedding card written in French. The beautiful colour of the ocean invited us to many fun activities like Parasailing, Submarine ride and Undersea walk. The beaches and locales served as shooting spots for many Bollywood movies and one could spend hours enjoying nature’s beauty.

We stood at the point, where the first Indian immigrant came, where stands the statue of Anjalay Devi, a sugarcane farmer who was beaten to death by the farm owner. I realized that the warmth of the people towards India had protected the umbilical cord between Mother India and Mauritius for centuries

Next day we went on the day long Island shopping boat ride. Many movies were shot in these islands, which was famous for steep rock emerging out from the quiet Andaman Sea. Snorkling, some caves etc. We visited a couple of them and they were picturesque.

We landed in Bangkok and decided to explore it later but first visit places outside Bangkok. We took a day trip to Kanchanbuari. We moved to the famous and historical “Bridge over the River Kwai”. The movie with the similar name made this sit even more famous. The Japanese used POWs of allied forces to build this strategic rail route to support their troops in Burma. Many of these prisoners died due to heavy workload. We walked on this bridge. Nearby this bridge, stood Kanchanbuari War Memorial. It is a cemetery having a plaque bearing the names of many including Indians who died building this bridge. This cemetery is still visited by relatives of those who died. Allied forces destroyed this railway link during WW II, to stop the Japanese advance towards India.

We had heard a lot about the so-called Tiger temple, and proceed to visit that temple. We were advised against wearing red coloured clothes while going near to the Tigers. This is a unique temple where monks have kept Tigers as pets. We assembled and slowly Tigers started coming out with the escorts. We lined up walked next to Tigers for few hundred meters. We reached a spot where Tigers were asked to sit and each one of us were accompanied with a trainer near the Tiger.  However, the irony was that we found them chained and sleepy just to allow tourists to touch them for a photo shoot. On return we stopped by a Floating market and were amazed to see the commercialization of the once village markets for tourists. It was a good picture opportunity and nothing more. We came back to Bangkok.

Next day we went for another daylong trip to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand that was named after our Ayodhya. We first stopped at “Bang Pa In” Summer palace, which is just at the outskirts of Bangkok. This complex is some three hundred years old and have impressive building of Thai, Gothic and Chinese architecture. It is now used to receive country’s state guest. After spending a couple of hours, we moved to Ayutthaya. This city was formed some seven hundred years and stayed as capital for four hundred years. We reached and saw the ruins of the once impressive city. There are a good number of temples, which are still in a good shape. Sleeping Buddha statue in an open field was very impressive. Once there was a temple over it, which is no more. Then at the centre of the ruins one could find three different styles of Buddhist temple, Sri Lanka, Cambodia etc.  Nearby stood Buddha’s face covered with tree’s stems. We climb up the Lighthouse to see the complex. Burma forces have captured this city some two hundred years back.

In Bangkok, we realized the deep cultural and religious linkage between India and Thailand. Most of the beliefs and ceremonies were rooted in Hinduism. The Thai kings have kept their titles after the name of Lord Rama and the current King is known as King Rama IX. Though the major religion is Buddhism, they worship Lord Ganesha & Brahma also. There are impressive Buddhist temples with Buddha statutes made of precious stones and metals. We came to Bangkok and took the cruise on the Cho Phrya River, which provided a panoramic view of Bangkok’s ancient and modern architecture and wondered when we could have a similar cruise on the Yamuna in Delhi. Our trip would not be complete without the shopping and its lure forced my vegetarian wife to control her nausea from the roadside seafood joints near the shopping mall to add an extra suitcase to our check-in baggage.

The Hagia Sophia, Suleymaniye and Blue mosques, Dolmabahce Palace and Basilica Cistern, where “From Russia with Love” was shot, were all breathtaking. The “Orient Express” starts from Istanbul and a visit to the railway station brought Agatha Christie’s novel back to life. However, the most memorable place was the Topkapi palace, the residence of the Ottoman emperors, having a few articles of Prophet Mohammad too. The throne section of the museum has an extremely beautiful Indian throne that was presented to Turkey around Nadir Shah’s period. Whether this was a section of the famous Takht-e-Taus or a part of many other treasures, which he had looted from Delhi, remained a mystery?

I picked up a hookah as a souvenir and tried to bargain hard for it. I paid him the money and asked him to return the change according to what his conscience told him. He laughed and said that Turkish people also bargained the same way.

The hostility between Turkey and Greece was narrated to us including the territorial claims and population exchanges based on religion. This sounded similar to issues between India and Pakistan. My guide knew that Greece was our next stop and smiled and said that we would hear the other side of the story too.