Barcelona Break

This past weekend I decided to take a trip to another location I've never been but always wanted to visit--Barcelona, Spain. Ever since the 1992 Olympic Games (can you believe it was that long ago...?!), I've admired the beautiful city located along the western coast of the Mediterranean riviera--a city of art, culture, and architecture like none other.

Very much like my weekend trip to Rome, I left on a late Wednesday night, connected through Paris early the next morning and then landed in Barcelona the early afternoon Thursday--just in time to hop on the train, ride into town, and walk four blocks to my hostel. Easy! (You see, it's no mistake that my accommodations are usually mere blocks from the closest train station since all trains run from the airports in Europe... just a little careful planning does the trick :o)

After checking into my teeny little room at the hostel (twin bed, a small desk, no TV, one towel, no shampoo and soap baskets--nothing fancy, just the basics!), I decided to hit the town in my, "I'm so excited to be here I can't wait!" fashion. I threw on a pair of shorts, grabbed my camera and I was out the door. I looked at my map of the city a few times and power walked the city snapping photos of my favorite places and sights along the way. By the time I knew it I was walking home and it was midnight already. What a fantastic first day!

Over the course of the next couple days I just walked walked and walked... I hit the former Olympic Stadium and grounds, visited famous landmarks, lost myself for hours and hours on the winding narrow streets of La Ribera--which totally rocks, btw; and just wandered around soaking up the city. In fact, my favorite part of the weekend was getting lost for hours without my map and not worrying for one moment that I wouldn't find my way around. Plus (for those of you who've traveled quite a bit you'll know what I mean...), once you have landmarks and feel the "rhythm" of a city, you can get around quite easily. The secret is to walk the city (or bike), not ride in a car, bus, or train, unless you are moving from one point to another on purpose... because if you walk the city you will learn it much more quickly--well, at least the areas in the heart of the city. Plus, I find it both fascinating and inspiring as I get to experience so many things that I might otherwise miss (or not explore!) if I wasn't walking on my own time and my own dime.

So between the amazing foods, the beautiful people, the creative and eclectic art of Gaudi and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, I would most definitely visit Barcelona again. Best hits? The Olympic grounds (including the gardens on the way down the mountain); wandering through La Ribera, La Rambla and Rambla Catalunya; the immense but still unfinished church of the Sagrada Família, pictured at the top of this posting (which has been under construction since 1882 and is still financed by private donations. In fact, current completion is planned for 2026--now that's a long project!); and definitely all of the restaurants, shops, and food along the way. Barcelona is, truly, an amazing and diverse city full of life and energy.

Gracias, Barcelona, for a wonderful experience. Muy bueno!

Sri Lanka Revisited

Last weekend a group of us headed to Sri Lanka for a weekend visit. Pam, Todd, Davin and I flew over on Thursday night (a short one-hour flight) and spent the weekend relaxing by the ocean, visiting the elephants, and touring the tea plantations in the mountains. It was wonderful to visit Sri Lanka again (the only location I've visited twice in my travels this year!) and enjoy the rich tropical rain forests, teas, and hospitable people.

One of the major highlights of the trip came on Friday as this was August 8, 2008 (08/08/08) and we were glued the to the hotel TV at 5:25pm (3 1/2 hours behind China) to see the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games at 8:08pm. Stunning!

Another major highlight was visiting the Glen Loch tea plantation. We got to tour the tea factory and see how they process the different types of teas harvested in the mountains of Sri Lanka. It was fascinating (see my Picasa Gallery for more snaps). After the tour we stopped in the tea house and had a cup of freshly-brewed tea with Buddhist monks--what a unique and tranquil experience :o)

The rest of the weekend was spent resting, relaxing, reading, swimming in the pool, driving around the island, touring the beautiful mountains, and eating good food (steak--mmmmm.... :o) A nice relaxing weekend, indeed!

Sri Lanka - so beautiful I had to visit twice.

Namaste.

Bannerghatta Safari

Another place I visited when my friend Tom was here in July was Bannerghatta National Park and wildlife preserve in southern Bangalore. The 25,000 acre park is home to panthers, lions, tigers and a large variety of birds, and offers several different safari packages to the interested tourist.

Tom and I decided to head down there for a day and found all sorts of interesting sights. We bought our tickets for the Lion & Tiger safari and decided to walk around the premises beforehand. Much to our surprise there were some elephants walking through the park and their guides were nice enough to stop and let us meet the elephants on their way! We also got to experience a wide variety of monkeys (and their crazy antics!) as we walked around the lake and circled the zoo area.

In the zoo were a variety of snakes, birds, and other animals. I was amazed at how clean the zoo looked (after hearing reports that the zoo was rather shabby) and the variety of exotic birds and other jungle animals was quite interesting. The safari was incredible--we saw male and female lions, both gold tigers and white tigers, and got to ride in a bus with a whole group of kids from a local school. It was a blast! My favorite part was seeing the white tigers...beautiful. In fact, we were so close to them that they were only an arm's reach away--amazing!

After the safari, I introduced Tom to a drink of fresh coconut juice and a bite of the "meat" inside of it--I think he realized just how different it really is from the processed output we are accustomed to in the U.S.--but I love it! Plus fresh coconut juice is good for the body. Check the online photo gallery for more snaps.

All-in-all the trip to Bannerghatta was well worth the noise and hassle of traffic--a short ride for an amazing adventure, and all just a quick trip on the other side of Bangalore. Even though there might not be lions and tigers, you might be surprised about the things that are just outside of your backyard, I know I was!

Peace.

Kerala Houseboat

This month my good friend Tom was visiting India from Minnesota for a few weeks and one of our touring stops was in southwest India in an area known as Kerala, referred to as "God's Own Country"--a highly populated region of India running along the southern part of the Indian peninsula. This amazing region is well-known for being one of the most literate, healthiest, and gender-equitable regions in India and has once been occupied by the French, Dutch, Portuguese and British, who have all left their mark, making it extremely eclectic and rich in history. One of the highlights of visiting Kerala is to take a houseboat tour through the backwaters of Allepy and the areas of Old Cochin--an escape from the modern cities of India and a "float" down the rivers of India past. So, based on the recommendations of another expat, Jamie, we booked a weekend trip. Our entire weekend tour was organized by Nirmal at Oriana Travel Shop and was planned and executed seamlessly.

After a short one hour flight from Bangalore, Nirmal met us at the airport and gave us our vouchers and explained the whole travel package to us. We joined our driver, Kuriakose, and headed to the city of Kochi. We stayed overnight in a hotel by the water and were able to tour Old Cochin and visit the ancient Chinese fisherman's nets and fishing docks the next morning. We then drove down south to Alleppey in the late morning to board the houseboat by noon to spend the next two and half days cruising the backwaters of Kerala, observing the nature, animals, people, temples, churches, longboats, and amazing scenery.

The houseboat voyage was a wonderful experience and the crew was fantastic. All of our meals where cooked on-board the boat (including fresh lobster and fish from the waters of Kerala!) We occupied ourselves by relaxing, reading, playing cards, and watching the sites as we toured many different areas of the backwaters and rivers. At night they would shore-up the houseboat along a side of a riverbank and we would enjoy the peace and quiet of being out in nature. The stars were abundant and a gentle breeze provided relief from the heat of the day.

By Monday morning we returned to Alleppey, disembarked from the houseboat and spent time visiting other parts of Kochi including a Jewish synagogue and more of the old sections of the town. Later that afternoon before departing for Bangalore, we met with with Nirmal, who made certain we enjoyed our whole trip and presented us each with a souvenir houseboat replicas as thank you gifts. What a great guy!

The whole weekend was wonderfully relaxing and a culturally interesting experience. If you visit India I would definitely encourage you to look up Nirmal and book a houseboat trip to Kerala. The freedom of being on the open water, the beauty of the natural scenery, and the general sincerity of the people convinced me that Kerala does, indeed, live up to its name of being "God's Own Country".

Namaste.

Tale of Two Trips

Last weekend a group of Target expats and my friend Tom, who's been visiting in India for the past three weeks, took a trip to Singapore--time to take a break from India and experience another part of this amazing world. The trip, however, became quite different than originally expected.

For starters, there was a group of us: Michael, Todd, Tom and myself, who flew on Tiger Airways--and Pam and Paul booked their tickets on Singapore Airlines. Two different flights, but going to the same destination at mostly the same time. Since we all took red-eye flights, we all connected in Singapore the next morning and checked into our hotel (the InterContinental Singapore, which I highly recommend!). Tom and I decided to crash for the morning, get up in the afternoon and see the city. Michael, Todd, Pam & Paul went out for brunch and then slept in the afternoon. When we all met up for dinner that evening, we went hunting for authentic Singapore food and found the Jumbo Seafood restaurant--home of the famous chili crab and delicious seafood known worldwide. How exciting, right? Well, there is just one caveat... I had picked up a little "Bangalore Belly" the week before and was still recovering, but felt good as new. Now just imagine what a night of chili crab, shrimp, a pint of beer, and ice cream will do to a "delicate" system... it wasn't pretty. I spent the entire night sick. Oi. Not the best way to start a vacation!

Even though I was in the hotel room all day Friday and ended up having to visit the hospital to get more meds on Saturday, I managed to have energy to walk around the city and take snaps of the amazing sights including the botanical gardens, riverwalk, Merlion monument, and the Singapore Flyer (Ferris Wheel)--Singapore's answer to the London Eye. Since I was laying low and Tom was on vacation to relax, we ended-up having a quiet weekend, which was very nice. We hung out at the hotel pool, took lots of naps, read, listened to music, watched a couple movies... whereas the rest of our group went restaurant hopping, shopping, and had a completely different trip--in fact, we didn't even end up seeing them until Sunday!

All-in-all, despite having two completely different experiences, we all had a wonderful time in Singapore. Whether your trip is crazy or quiet, Singapore has something to offer. As always, check the online photo gallery for more snaps! More about the Kerala houseboat trip and Bannerghatta safari next week, then back to Sri Lanka and off to Barcelona next month so stay tuned!

Raghu's Rama Naumi

Last month I had the unique opportunity to go with my friend, Raghu, to his village to celebrate Ramu Naumi, a festival celebrating the birthday of Lord Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu legend, Rama, the legendary King of Ayodhya, is considered to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu while his wife, Sita, was believed to be the incarnation of the Goddess Lakshmi. This celebration, usually held in the spring, not only honors Rama's birthday, but also the marriage of Rama and Sita by re-enacting their wedding vows and celebrating with food, music, and song.

I met Raghu earlier this winter at one of the Bangalore Expat Club mixers that many of us expats attend at the Taj Residency on Friday nights, and he's been a great friend--taking me to visit Indian temples, historical landmarks, and other local sites--teaching me more about his culture and his world. When I first moved here I was hoping to make some Indian friends so I could see the many facets of Indian life, and I got exactly what I wished for! Don't you love it when that happens? (Which, honestly, happens all the time whether you realize it or not--just be careful what you wish for :o)

When we arrived at the festival, I was quite the attraction. Being the only Caucasian person amongst a crowd of over 600 people was quite overwhelming at first, but after about 15 minutes I couldn't remember the difference. Granted, I couldn't speak their language, but there's nothing that a smile, head nod, or handshake doesn't say--communication is easy when it's from the heart. Soon I was surrounded by all sorts of people, mostly children, who all wanted to meet me... or just touch my skin to see if I was, indeed, "real". Imagine seeing a live version of something you may have only seen in a magazine or on TV--or, for many of these children, never seen before. Their eyes were wide with wonder--and it was amazing.

I had my camera (of course), and they all learned to love having their picture taken--in fact, many of the photos in my "Children of India" gallery came from that day. I had the most wonderful time. We ate, listened to music, watched people dance, and walked all over the village meeting people and enjoying the festival. I got to meet all of his best friends--guys who he had grown up with since he was a toddler--and we hung out in the graveyard for part of the afternoon (this is what men do when they want to have their "alone time"--it's very cool). Then I got to meet Raghu's family, who all live together in a small simple home of three tiny rooms. Amazing. They fed me and made me feel so welcome--a guest, indeed. I'd never felt so blessed :o)

After Raghu dropped me off and I returned to my apartment at the end of the day I couldn't quite describe the feelings I had... just being absorbed in the culture of the people, food, music, colors, sights, sounds, and smells of incense and curry, was overwhelming. My heart swelled with peace and acceptance--India felt to so good to me. It was all good... yes, it was very good, indeed.

Thank you, Raghu--or should I say, "Shukriya" (thank you in Hindi). You have given me the opportunity to see your life, your home, your family and friends, but most of all you've given me a priceless gift--the gift of your friendship.

Namaste.

Rome If I Want To

A couple of years ago I made a decision. Since I've always enjoyed the benefits of traveling (relaxation, refreshment, perspective, introspection...), I decided that every month I would devote at least one weekend to traveling somewhere new. Now, my definition of "traveling" didn't mean it needed to extravagant... or expensive... or even far from home--I just needed to get out of my element for a couple of days and open myself up to new sights, sounds, smells, (foods!), and experiences. Many of my weekends were spent staying with a friend on the other side of town, traveling up to northern Minnesota, or hopping on a plane to Chicago, San Diego, even Hawaii :o) But I made the commitment to travel... to book out a minimum of one weekend a month. After all--if it's not the calendar, it's not gonna happen!!

So when I moved to India last November I wanted to keep my word--however, now I have a bigger playground :o) It's easier to get to other countries while being based in India, so I've been off to Dubai, London, Sri Lanka, Europe... you can see by my blog entries. When I was planning my "monthly trip" for June, I wanted to travel somewhere I've never been but always wanted to take pictures of... instantly I thought of Rome. What amazing history, art, food :o), culture... all waiting for me to explore it. So I did.

I love to travel with others, but I also love to travel alone. This was going to be a trip for me. I decided to take Friday and Monday off and extend my weekend to 4 days: fly out from Bangalore to Paris Thursday night; to Rome on Friday morning; stay at a bed & breakfast on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights; and then spend the entire day traveling back to India on Monday. A "whirlwind tour" of sorts. The trip was amazing! I probably walked over 20 miles a day, toured the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, Coliseum, Circus Maximus, ate pasta, gelato, croissants and espresso (mmmmmm). Amazing. One of my favorite moments was standing in the main chapel of the Sistine Chapel with about 300 other people staring at the walls and the (famous) ceiling admiring Michelangelo's work... it was breathtaking. And to think of the hundreds of times I've heard reference to that one single space, to stand there and just be "present" was incredibly powerful--I could feel the energies of hundreds of years gathering is such a sacred and revered place. Intense; powerful; memorable.

I walked around the whole city just taking in the sights and sounds. Lots of tourists from all over the world, many of us taking pictures for each other to be sure we didn't miss the opportunity to capture the moment. The streets were alive with vendors, musicians, artists, and food everywhere you looked. There was such a mixture of new and old, modern and classical, traditional and contemporary... every time I turned a corner another piece of history revealed itself. Fountains, statues, gardens, cobblestone, columns, history...

I also got some good writing done (another reason I love traveling...) and had some interesting insights as I observed people and events--mostly when I was eating--so I will share a couple of them with you:

Michael's Italian Food Insights

• Re: Restaurant service: After they drop your food at your table they don't return to check and see if everything's okay. Why not? Because they'd never need to! Every meal in Italy is spectacular :o)
• Re: Ice Cream/Gelato: Always have just a little bit... every day. It's good for the soul... and it happens to taste out of this world!!
• Re: Napkins: Why need them? Just don't eat with your hands (very contradictory to India, mind you)
• Re: Seasonings at your table (i.e., ketchup, mustard, black pepper, etc): Besides perhaps a shaker of salt (which, as you may know, can naturally enhance flavor), if you need to add any additional seasonings to your food it's not good food to begin with!
• Re: The eating experience: Food brings people together, and there's nothing better than gathering people together to celebrate, relax, and enjoy one another. Eating together strengthens those bonds!
• Re: Strolls at night: It's important to take a stroll at the end of the evening, reflect on the day, and get some good fresh air. It also helps with digestion after an excellent meal, and it's also a great time to have that last taste of gelato before bedtime :o)
  

Grazie molto, Rome. I will return again!

Safari So Good

This past weekend a group consisting of 10 of our Target expats decided to take a weekend trip to Kabini Park, a wildlife preserve in Southern India. Since earlier this past winter Paul had been to Banipur--another park next door--and really enjoyed the visit, he took the task of putting together a group trip to the same vicinity this spring.

Since nearly all of us are living in the same apartment building at Zen Gardens, we took Friday off, met-up outside the building early Friday morning, packed up the van/bus (whatever it was), and started our journey. The six-hour road trip was typical for India--bounces, bumps, twists and turns (not to mention the plethora of animals, cars, motorcycles, rickshaws, people, and various debris on the roads... oh yeah, and India has speed bumps on the highways... yeah... that's a whole other blog entry... I digress :o)

ANYHOO, after singing along to Paul's iPod tunes and lots of snacks, we finally arrived in Kabini, took Jeeps (mighty fast ones!) to the boats, which took us to the resort cabins where we stayed for the weekend. Between the 10 of us we shared 3 cottages--it was just like going to camp! While the days consisted of several "safari" outings (Jeep safari, two boat safaris, and one trekking safari on-foot), the nights were spent playing cards, telling stories, and lots of laughter... in fact, the weekend was filled with laughter from the very start. Yeah!

During the safari outings we saw everything from wild elephants to baboons, peacocks, spotted deer, cows, wild boars, a crocodile, several types of birds, and then the "usual" assortment of cattle, goats, chickens--you know-- the animals that hang out on the street outside our apartment? Yeah, they were there as well... ya just can't completely escape the feeling of home in India--not even in the jungle! Check the online gallery album for more snaps.

All-in-all, the weekend was absolutely fantastic. Yes, the safaris were interesting and we had some interesting guides along the way, like Oopy ("Shhhh! Silent safari! Dancing peacock! Shhhhh... elephant! Oh wait, let me answer my mobile phone...), but the best part of the weekend was the fellowship. We all had time to just hang out with one another--time for stories, jokes, games, and just plain relaxing. It was wonderful.

BIG thanks to Paul for helping to organize a fantastic "Memorial Day Weekend" trip (although India doesn't celebrate Memorial Day and we had to work on Monday...) I am sure we will all remember this fantastic time for years to come. It was, indeed a safari so good--or, in the unforgettable words of Oopy every time we'd see another elephant, "Success!!"

Children of India

As I have recently passed my six month mark in Bangalore (!!), I wanted to take the opportunity to continue highlighting Indian history, culture, and most importantly, India's people. So I decided it was time for another gallery--this time a compilation of photos depicting the children of India.

Through my travels within the cities of Bangalore, Mysore, Delhi, Agra, and other areas of the country, I have had the opportunity to meet so many warm and friendly people--but the warmest and most sincere are the children. As I had written in my blog entry about Narendra Nele (the boys orphanage in Bangalore), children have a universal energy--a common spark--that all of us have and can identify with... children just show their love and share their joy more freely. Since most children haven't yet taken on the fear of the world, their spirits shine bright and they connect quickly with those who recognize them.

Here is short compilation of some little souls that I've encountered on my journey through India so far this year--may their energy and joy be felt in your heart as it has been in mine.

Enjoy the gallery.