Sri Lanka - exploring an island

There was a time when Sri Lanka used to get more foreign tourists than Thailand did, but then followed a 30 year civil war, and thing went downhill for the country. The war ended a few years ago, and things are back to normal, except that the whole tourism infrastructure need to be built from scratch, and that is a time consuming process even in any well governed country. There is a lot of heritage in the country, which if properly showcased, will attract lot of tourists, but for my taste now, I am just glad we didn't select it for our hostel reunion later in the year.

Distances are not very large but it can take a few hours to cover those given the narrow road and heavy traffic. We had two days to discover central part, before coming back to Colombo for slpl finals. Our first stop was at pinnewala elephant orphanage and it was quite a site to see some thirty odds elephants taking a river bath together. After a few more hours of arduous journey, we reached dambulla cave temples, which are some 2100 years old, and had some brilliantly carved out Buddhist statues in the caves. It was worth the long climb to see this historic place.

Our plans to see the sigiriya ancient city ruins were ruined because of the ongoing construction work on the road, and after waiting for an hour at one of those logjams, we decided to turn back to Kandy. Seeing the Buddha's tooth temple was nice, but again I got the feeling there was nothing in Kandy, despite it's beautiful location,  that I haven't seen better and well organized elsewhere before. This unfortunate feeling lasted for the rest of the trip, and while Sri Lanka is a cheap place to travel, I couldn't figure out why it shouldn't be so.

Our last few days were spent in Galle, the beach town in the south west part. This was the area hit by a devastating tsunami a few years back, and there are still reminders of that horrible day around. They have beautiful corals, but the weather was bad and sea was rough, so we spent most of the time inside the unawatuna beach resort, a rather non descript but none the less highly rated on trip advisor resort. It's time to go back now, and it will be while before I come back to Sri Lanka again. 

Colombo- dawn of the SLPL

After a fantabulous eight weeks exploring USA and Canada, I was back in Singapore in time for school opening. In the middle of house renovation wasn't a good time to take off for Sri Lanka, but I had planned this way in advance as Bhammer brothers were organizing this mini IPL here. Against all odds, Sandeep had worked tirelessly to make this event happen and I had to come to support him. 

Even though the crowds were conspicuous by their absence in th league matches, the production quality was fantastic and one couldn't say it was being organized the first time. Given all the main sponsors were essentially Indian companies, it was just like IPL with the Indian players being replaced by Pakistani ones. There were quite a few international stars and they played some really good quality cricket. In all, a fantastic first year, and no doubt this will scale new heights in forth coming years. I had a new level of respect for the organizers after closely watching how much effort goes into organizing some thing at this scale.

My parents flew in from india, and it was exciting for them to watch the matches from the VIP boxes. I got to meet some of the international cricketers after the matches which was exciting for me. This turned out to be a great highlight of the trip, as unfortunately the city didn't have much else to offer. Battling the local traffic congestion in rain to reach a barely maintained Gangaramya temple or the national museum wasn't worth the effort. If they are serious about promoting tourism here, it's difficult to find any impact just yet in Colombo.

Barcelona- the magic of Mediterranean

Originally, i was planning to come back via Moscow, but decided to go through Barcelona, and am i glad i made that decision! It was the last destination in this trip, and after 5 weeks of bag packing, i was beginning to feel the strain, but the wonderful sights- the pristine beaches and green mountains, the sunny weather, nice friends and a lovely host in Barcelona made it really a memorable stay.  

Mireia, my host, was a lovely Spanish  engineer teaching sound to students, lucky to have a job in a city with 42% unemployment rate amongst its youth. She had another couch surfer Rune from Denmark staying with her for a day. Marc, who also stayed with us in Singapore, was back in Barcelona and was kind enough to spend the day with me taking me to all the key tourist spots. Between the three of them, i always had interesting company to see the city.  

Barcelona got rich during the industrial revolution in late 1800s. Its most famous architect Gaudi, after whose buildings the word Gaudy originated, created buildings inspired by nature and animals with no straight line. Miro and Picasso were other famous artists with their own distinctive, though something that i won't be able to appreciate, art styles. The city had am interesting past with Jews, Romans, Christians and Spanish people playing important roles- yes it is inhabited by Catalonian people under Spanish rule for last 300 years still looking for independence, a fact they don't forget to mention whenever given a chance.  

After doing the gothic and the gaudi tours in two days, and going through the Picasso museum and a few Basilicas, and getting the down load on its history, i was ready to hit the beaches and climb the mountains for a last time on the trip. Evenings were spent with friends drinking beer till late night, water for me actually, reminding me of college days, as most people serving beers were illegal immigrants from Punjab.


 I did one last cooking job and left the balance spices for Mireia - she had spent a month in India and loved almost anything Indian. She of course needed a little teach in for Indian cooking. I hung out till late with her the last night, not wanting the trip to end, but in the end i was happy to be back on the plane, excited to see family again in Singapore, of course not before finally doing some shopping for them in Barcelona. It was a fitting grand finale to the most exciting travel adventure of my life.   

Prague- the threshold of bohemian

 Praha, as the city is known in czeck language, means 'threshold'. In an earlier time, this region was known as Bohemia, from whose unconventional artistic lifestyle the world Bohemian is derived. Fifty years of communism hasn't suppressed the Bohemian spirit of Prague. Even if you arrive with high expectations here, you are unlikely to be disappointed.

 My hosts, Waldemar and Christina, had stayed with us for the new year, and they were clearly making efforts to return the favor. A sumptuous meal was ready when i arrived and Waldemar took me to a city orientation tour right afterwards. The Prague castle, supposedly the largest in the world, the Charles bridge on the vtalva river, the old town square, the first German university and metrological department in the world, and a few titbits on the communist history and i was already feeling quite familiar with city.

  I was going to stay for 3 days, so this was the place to check out the concerts, ballets and the cabarets. Unfortunately, after buying the concerts ticket at the national museum for the last performance there before a five year renovation project starts, i realized that there was only one ballet show while i was there and exactly at the same time as the concert. Fortunately, ballets are quite a bit longer than the concerts, so i had not much choice left than to join in at the intermission. Both the performances were terrific and quite a bit cheaper than Vienna!

 Even one generation hasn't passed since the communists days and lots of little ghosts of communism still lingers on. Over 70 percent people are non religious, and they drink 70 percent alcoholic drinks which can be probably used to drive motorcycles. Everybody seems to be a smoker and a drinker, at least i didn't meet anybody who wasn't.  They tell me they smoke and drink because of depression, but i didn't sense it that way. it was just a part of being social in Prague.


 i spent most of the time walking through the main attractions, and catching a passing by tourist group with English speaking tour guides. The city has good connections and moving around was quite easy, and it was not very difficult to encounter English speaking people if i was really lost. It was Waldemar's birthday next day and i joined my second birthday party of the trip, and it was interesting to meet their friends from all walks of life in Prague. The party went on late in night, and it was just beginning to rain when i left for sunny Barcelona the next morning.  

Vienna- short and sweet

If Vienna was a boring city for the party girls of Budapest, i was there for too short a time to figure that out. The incentive to stay back in Budapest for one more day was high, with my host being a self confessed party expert, and with approaching weekend, but in the end i decided the day would be better spent in Vienna, boring or not. It turned out to be a good decision.

 Shonali, my host, was a friend of Jyotsna, who introduced us over email. She is a double masters and a Phd, dealing with important problems like environment, and living in a nice apartment close to the center which i had only hoped most of my other hosts would have. She was also working, so i left the luggage at station for the day. I spent the day walking almost non stop, in the city center, not before i had covered the famous Schonbrunn palace out side of it, and it certainly was one of the most beautiful city center in Europe that i had seen, and certainly being worthy of a unesco world heritage site.

Apart from being the capital of Austro-Hungarian empire, and one of the most livable cities of the modern world,  Vienna was also widely regarded as the capital of music, with great masters like Mozart, Brahms, Stauss etc working here in its hey days. It is also a host city for many international organizations like UNESCO and OPEC, and one of the largest centers for exhibitions and conferences. it also has the most efficient and well connected tram system that i had seen.

It is also endowed with beautiful operas and other museums in the city center, which were mostly rebuilt after the world war 2. Unfortunately, i didn't have time to enjoy the performances here, as i had to join Shonali and her cousin Mandakini, a yoga and pranayam teacher in Vienna, for an early dinner. The performances i left for Prague, where i was heading the next day. That turned out to be a good decision too.

Budapest- A tale of two cities

  Starting from the Huns, and following through with many, including the Turks, Nazis and Commies, Hungary had more than its fair share of invaders, so much so that they are still debating who the Hungarians actually are. And whatever destruction the invaders did to the country, they left a generic imprint that no body can complain about. Other than the smoking hot beauty quotient, Budapest surprised me positively on many counts.

People were really open and friendly, with certainly the most helpful old ladies who ran around to make sure i got on the right bus.  Hungarian is considers one of the most unique and difficult languages, though some people suggest Finnish to have the same origin, but people spoke good English, with American or British accent. They ate spicy food, and while the food is mostly meat based, i certainly had one of the best vegetarian food in Europe here.

 Buda and Pest are two cities on either side of Danube, Buda is the rich and aristocratic hilly side, Pest is the financial center. Being on the losing side of two world wars, and suffering the last century at the hands of Nazis and then the communists,  the country lost its considerable wealth and land mass from the time of Austro-Hungarian empire, and Budapest was probably one of the most destroyed city in WW2. A visit to the secret hospital in the rocks on Buda side brought me closer to the world war than any thing else i have ever seen, with waxed dummies still enacting the scenes from that era. Most of my trip to Europe has been about middle ages and renaissance, Budapest is about life in the last century.

Two walking tours, one on each side, were enough to give a very good idea about the history of this beautiful city. Eva, my first host was unemployed so she came along for the Pest tour. laslow, our tour guide, used to work for an indiaan company, and in an amazing coincident, i happened to know his bosses. After the tour he took us to this lovely vegetarian restaurant, and then invited us to a workshop of 'Euritme', an art movement to express the emotions of poetry through synchronized and graceful body movements, which he taught and i thoroughly enjoyed. Fanny, my second host, was a party and drinking expert, and she was thoroughly disappointed that i was leaving for the boring Vienna just when she and the city were getting ready to party on the weekend. Well in this case, I certainly shared her disappointed.

Venice- romance of a beautiful but dying city

Venice is certainly one of the most unique cities of the world. Settled over a lagoon and collection of small islands by the Romans running away from German nomads, it became a major trade center, and consequently the most cosmopolitan city in Italy. It survived many calamities, infact the population increased during second world war because of an  international treaty not to bomb it. And its the only city i know on this trip where population has dwindle over time, from 300k in the middle of 20th century to 60k now,  because even though it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world, it is also a difficult and expensive city to live. A lot of houses near the canals, which look so beautiful in pictures, are actually abandoned. Sadly, it is also a decaying city, with rising sea water levels caused by global warning threatening its very existence. Its unlikely to survive very long. Venice, in short, is like autumn leaves, beautiful but dying.  

Dead batteries, miscommunication and bad luck left me stranded for a few hours at the station till my host Francesca, an economy teacher who surfed with us few months ago, managed to find her phone and call me. Unfortunately, she has been fired from her job for fighting against the system, and her case is in the newspapers and tv channels. Consequently, she is more stressed, and more free than usual. She lives with a flat mate who stats and ends his day smoking pot. She was also my personal tourist guide, when not doing rounds of the various administrative buildings filling her petitions, and took me out for a fantastic walking tour of the city, showing me all the touristic, and not so touristic spots.   

Venice is full of beautiful and historic architectures, narrow and confusing lanes, and a very unique water ways system with public transport and gondolas plying side by side. Just sitting on the water taxies and traveling through the city is an experience in itself. It hasn't changed much over the centuries. I saw a map of Venice in Vatican drawn up in 16th century, and I was told you could still use it today to find your way around.

 I hop and skipped over few near by islands. Burano is famous for is very colorful houses with no two adjacent houses painted the same color. Murano is famous for its glass work. Back in San Marco square, i visited the Doges palace, from where Venice was governed for over a millennium. This was a model of venetian opulence, with gold carvings and paintings by 16th century venetian masters covering its walls. After all the walks, climbing up and down the bridges, and a few tourist filled boat rides later, it was time to find a McDonald for free wifi so i could finally upload the blogs.

Naples - unraveling the layers of history

When ever i mentioned my plan to visit Naples to any italian, the first thing they said was 'be careful!'. it is not supposed to be a  safe place. 'its all an urban myth', said my host Ruokko, a math and physics teacher, tutor really, as he is without a permanent job, like most Italians i know by now. He then points out a bunch of people loittering around near the station, and says 'but you should be careful of them' He lives on the top floor of an exceedingly narrow building in an exceedingly narrow lane, luckily not far from the central station.  

Rome and Vatican are very tough acts to follow. The first half a day in Naples i walked around the historical center of the city, and realized that i had had bit of an overdose of Duomos and museos. Some of the Basilicas were probably a bit older but most were from 15-16 century, and i had already seen the best of those. I needed something different. That's where the Greeks came in.

The Greeks started building a complex web of water cisterns around 400bc, which was expanded by the Romans to 400 km long system right under the city's belly. It was used later as a garbage dump and bomb shelter, and now as a tourist attraction. Unlike the water cistern in Istanbul, this one is very deep and very narrow, at some places only 50 cm wide to increase the water pressure. It was followed by a visit to the Roman theater, still deeply buried under modern day buildings, and until recently was being used as a garage and a carpenter shop. Two millennia ago, emperor Nero himself used to perform here. The city was starting to redeem itself.  

Naples is also built in layers like Rome, but a lot more difficult to excavate, as an old law required every building to be with in the city wall for centuries, so the greeks, Romans and Christians built over each other, with eruptions from mount Vesuvius putting some layers in between. As a result, the city has an unmistakable characteristics, with narrow lanes, reminding one of Chandni chowk in delhi, only the chaat corners being replaced with sfogliatelle and pizza corners.


 In the evening, i joined some couch surfers from Naples and St Petersburg for dinner, and Ruokko and his friends for drinks afterwords. After walking through the narrow lanes of Naples till 1 am, i was ready to crash. Thankfully, Ruokko decides to move to his girlfriend's house and i got the bed! His couch would have been really difficult to sleep in. The only disappointing thing during the day was the famous 'Napolitana' pizza, which is regarded as the best pizza in the world, at least by the Italian. Now that, to my mind, is an urban myth..

Pompeii - a day of ruins

It must have been a terrible day for the residents of Pompeii, when in 79ad mount Vesuvius exploded, after being dormant for over half a millennium, with the power of five atomic bombs, burying the town with up to 100 feet of mostly volcanic ash.  After the initial unsuccessful attempt to dig it out, it was forgotten, buried deeply in volcanic ash and mud, for around 1700 years, until someone rediscovered it while digging the land for agricultural purpose. It was a great archeological discovery, and gives such a clear insight into life two millennia ago with largely intact houses, shops, theaters and gymnasiums. The excavation is still an ongoing project. This was far bigger, and better, than Ostia Antica in Rome.  

Encolarno, another town near by, had similar fate in the same explosion, but it was buried under volcanic material and lava, so it was probably more difficult excavate and serious efforts were made only in this century to dig it out. only a small part has been excavated so far, but some of the stuff is more intact than even Pompeii.

I made a quick visit to Mount Vesuvius too. It is still alive and well, and due for a big one, hopefully only after a few hundred years. It was a good place to ponder how unexpected and fleeing life is.

Back in Naples, i only wanted to get to the highest point to take some pictures of the city, with very little interest or  energy left for the few remaining castles,  museums and churches. I was tired and my back was hurting. It was time for a quick power nap before catching the night train to Venice.