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Medellin (5th June to 8th June, 2015)
Medellin – A beautiful city set in picturesque valley of Andes
mountains with fun loving and helpful people, stunningly beautiful
women, vibrant, rich Colombian culture & interesting history!
Visiting this second largest city in Republic of Colombia & one of
the best cities to live in South America was a dream come true for me as
this was my first entry in the South American continent.
On Friday (5th June) evening I boarded a flight from
Panama Pacifico airport (A very small beautiful airport) on a cheap
VivaColombia direct flight to Medellin. It was just a one hour flight
that cost me about $140/- round trip fare.
As the flight started descending, I marveled at the first glimpses of
this vast city spread in the lush green valley surrounded by extensive
Andes ranges.
The airport is in another town Rionegro about 35kms from Medellin and
there are buses that run between airport and Medellin every 15 mins or
so. The bus costs just 9000 Colombian pesos per person and takes about
40 mins to reach Medellin, passing through the mountain ranges with
scenic views of the city lights. I was reminded of the Pune-Mumbai
travels by old road with the view of Khopoli, only Medellin must be
about ten times bigger than Khopoli in size. (~$2500 Colombian peso = $1
USD)
We (Darshan & I) met a very helpful woman on the bus who guided
us where to get off from the bus and also instructed us to take the taxi
from an official line outside a mall. This is safer as a photo is
captured of the taxi with the passengers.
After checking into our hostel ‘The Wandering Paisa’ (Medellin people
are called Paisas) we went out to get the feel of the city and some
dinner. We spent the evening sitting in an open restaurant, sipping on
our drinks, enjoying Colombian local cuisine & hospitality of the
waiters while soaking in the party atmosphere of Friday evening, people
all dressed up hurrying to various pubs and open loud bars with people
singing & dancing. We ordered a popular dish from Medellin called
‘Bandeja Paisa’, bandeja means mix or platter, this dish contains
various commonly consumed food items in the region. It consists
of arepas (similar to rice bhakri), red beans, rice, pork belly, carne
molida (grounded meat), sausage, fried egg, salad & avocado.
Excellent food coupled with the energetic atmosphere made me immediately
fall in love with the city. However, it was a long day with work and
then travel so we decided to call it a day & start early next
morning to explore the city.
Medellin has almost perfect weather throughout the year with average
temperature ~22 degree Celsius in day time and ~15 at night. The fresh
air from surrounding mountains is very refreshing and there is abundance
of parks and green patches in the city. It has a very extensive Metro
system which is both cheap and convenient and commonly used by everyone.
Unfortunately, even now Medellin is most known to the outside world
due to the escapades of Pablo Escobar – the drug lord who controlled
about 80% of US drug business at one time. Escobar was a native of
Medellin who along with the so called Medellin-cartel almost took over
the city. Crime was rife during that time and many Paisas suffered in
the violence. He was killed by the police in 1993 and the city has
totally transformed after that. The crime rate has been declining ever
since and the wealthier areas of ‘El Pablado’ and ‘Laureles’ (our hostel
was here) are absolutely safe at any time of day or night. Death of Pablo Escobar
Medellin also has a rich history of art & culture and the city
boasts of many museums, libraries, theaters and public plazas. We
visited Museum of Antioquia (Medellin is in Antioquia department –
department is something similar to District) and Plaza Botero first.
Fernando Botero is a famous Colombian artist (painter & sculptor)
with a signature style of art. Plaza Botero is in the heart of the city
and the area was crowded. It’s a typical tourist place with many
roadside vendors, people offering to click photos & also a lot
homeless people.
Next, we visited a botanical garden in afternoon to beat the sun. I
was pleasantly surprised to see a few huge iguanas absolutely used to
being photographed, crawling around lazily. We also visited an aquarium
with many superb fishes, frogs & snakes. I think the highlight for
me was anaconda here. I am kind of scared of snakes and watching them
inside the glass boxes always reminds me of Harry Potter and I wonder if
one of them will just burst out of the box, which makes me quite
jittery!
Our final plan for the day was going uphill using metro cable.
Medellin is a thriving city and is spread uphill from almost all sides.
These are poor neighbourhoods with simple brick houses sheltered by
metal sheets. The metro cable system is super fast, cheap and an
adventure in itself as the slope of the ropeway is pretty steep. One can
take the cable up to the top of the mountain which has ‘Park Arvi’ – a
thick rainforest, offering amazing view of the city & surrounding
mountain ranges. I was highly impressed by the efficiency of this cable
system.
We spent some time near ‘Santo Domingo’ metro station watching the
crowd and sun set. It is a highly populated area. There was an
atmosphere of a fair with children running around, playing and many
people just chatting and roaming around enjoying the view and ice cream
or cotton candy sold by the street. We met one Colombian family also
just visiting there and chatted with them. He mentioned how this area
was extremely dangerous earlier and no one could even think of roaming
around there 10 years back.
The Saturday night party began with a beer pong in the hostel
followed by some club hopping dancing and learning salsa. Colombians are
excellent salsa dancers and absolutely crazy party people. I had super
fun meeting Alejandra and Harold (both Paisas), showing me around the
Colombian way of partying.
Next day, Darshan planned to visit a nearby town (~2 hrs bus journey)
called Guatape. This is a weekend gate away for city dwellers, a quaint
old Spanish town. There a huge monolith near Guatape called ‘La Piedra
del Peñol’ (meaning the rock of Guatape) which has an elevation of
~7000ft. Climbing to the top of this piedra (about 650 steps) is
absolutely worth due to the amazing 360 degree view it offers.
We spent the day just taking in the view, exploring the Guatape town
& walking around the Malecon (stretch by the bank of river).
Observing Colombians roaming around was fun. There was a couple who
offered me a shot of rum (which I politely declined) on the top of the
rock for clicking their picture. They had climbed up carrying a carton
of rum like our milk cartons and a shot glass. As the sun went down,
people flocked to the roadside vendors offering all kinds of fried food,
desserts and even shots. We had some excellent Argentinean chimichurri
here and I was ecstatic to have ‘butta’ (roasted corn)!
The bus journey back to hostel was comfortable. I felt tired but
extremely happy and satisfied by the day. However, the thought of
leaving Medellin next day dampened my spirit.
The next day was quite uneventful. We visited another park in the
morning and then left for the airport. I was already sad for returning
and to top it, irritating airport security people did not let me take my
new, pretty umbrella by cabin luggage and I had to leave it there.
All in all it was a great experience. I did struggle a bit (quite a
lot actually) with the concept of carrying and paying thousands of
pesos. I was mostly lost at understanding the currency and the
calculations every time I had to pay! (I suspect this is why I found
everything very cheap as mostly I didn’t understand how much exactly it
was costing! :p) I found Paisas helpful, flamboyant and also cautious
people. I totally agreed with the popular view that anyone who goes
there, falls in love with the city and it’s very difficult to leave it.
There is a sort of rivalry in Paisas and Rolos (people from Bogota –
Capital of Colombia) where they openly dislike each other. Something
like – Mumbaikars & Delhi-ites, but I guess quite stronger. However,
when we were deciding whether to visit Medellin or Bogota, every person
had voted for Medellin. I was glad about the decision and decided I
have to go back to Medellin once again at some point.
Another adventure in the Americas! Visiting the land of Castro,
with its unique political situation, exceptionally interesting history
and abundance of natural beauty along with the charm of Spanish colonial
cities felt like a dream come true!
The revolution, Cuba’s involvement in cold war, different approach to
communism and most importantly survival after US trade embargo and
financial sanction, especially as, in effect Cuba is far from the
effects of westernization (compared to other countries) and consumerism,
all together makes Cuba a really unique country. Since I finished the
last of book of Ken Follett’s Century trilogy, ‘Edge of Eternity’, I was
really curios about Cuba and I pounced on the opportunity of ‘holyweek’
in Panama (Four day long Easter holiday) to visit this time warped
land. The first look of Havana
There was a lot of hustle bustle on the airport due to high number of
tourists from various nationalities. We were greeted on the airport by
enthusiastic Meme (taxi driver, a fan of SRK) who helped us get our
money exchanged faster and drove us to our casa in Havana vieja (Old
Havana) while showing us some monuments and famous attractions on the
way.
Cuba has two currencies CUP or Cuban Peso for the locals (very cheap
at about 26 peso = $1), where as tourists are required to pay in CUC
(slang cucu, like a sound of cuckoo) which is pegged to $ with 1:1
ratio. However, there is penalty of 13% in converting USDs directly to
CUCs and so effectively, CUC is more expensive than dollars. We did
think of buying Euros in Panama and converting them but the rates
offered at airport were ridiculous and we realized it will not be a
profitable affair to exchange currency twice after all.
At the first look, Havana seemed very similar to some small, less
developed town in Konkan. Bougainville, mangoes, coconut and other usual
trees along the road along with some litter made me feel quite at home.
The advertisements along the road (billboards/signage etc) were
conspicuous by their absence and really refreshing. I was amused by the
constant presence of Castro, Jose Marti, Che & the revolution
through the billboards that took their place.
As we entered the main city, traffic increased and we were
transported back in time by at least a couple of decades! This is mainly
due to the vintage cars everywhere and the old, dilapidated buildings. I
felt if anything in South Mumbai was never renovated; it would be very
similar to Old Havana. Especially because of the long sea face just like
Marine drive called Malecon. There are some really beautiful buildings
though – Teatro de nacional, Museo de revolucion, Main Cathedral etc.
Our casa was an apartment in a really old, dilapidated building in
front of Museo de revolucion in Old Havana. I have to admit that if not
for the reassuring smile and warmth of Casa owner Luly, patiently
waiting for us below the building, I would have felt scared to enter
that building at night. The house was beautifully decorated with lots of
pictures and Luly lives there with her mom (a sweet ajji) and her
Chihuahua called Cara (Cara means ‘expensive’ in Spanish). She did not
speak any English and I am still amused at how much we conversed given
my excellent Spanish skills. J She helped us a lot in everything, right
from instructing us what to see, where to eat, what should things cost
to finding an excellent Casa particular for us to stay in Trinidad. I
think our whole trip could not have been so nice if not for this lady! Luly & her MamaLuly with ‘Cara’ & me!View from Casa, ‘Museo de la Revolucion’
Contact between locals and tourists was made legal in 1997 in Cuba
after which slowly the system of Casa particulares boomed as the locals
were searching for new avenues of earning income. Today, Government
recognizes and encourages these Casas and there is a sign put up outside
the house that marks it as a Casa Particular (like a home stay). Havana Viaje
We spent the next day wandering around the Old Havana, doing usual
site seeing, marveling at the history of revolution and the variety of
vintage cars on the road and enjoying mojitos & cuba libres at
various restaurants. Teatro de Nacional
We met many characters on the road. Havana is a typical tourist place
full of people inviting you to particular restaurants or trying to sell
you illegal cigars or playing a mouth organ or other instruments
expecting you to pay. Even old men sitting on the side of roads, smoking
cigar are well aware that they are in demand for photographs and expect
to be given something after you click them. One guy (inviting us to a
restaurant) upon learning we were headed for a famous restaurant in the
area, requested us to bring leftovers which will feed his children. And
he was actually still there when we returned after two hours and happily
accepted our ‘to go’ boxes. Despite the poverty, the notable thing is,
no one is ever aggressive and a polite no will keep them at their bay.
Also, they are enthusiastic to help you even after you decline whatever
offer they are making. Another character was an old uncle, driving a car
older than himself who took us to ‘Viazul’ office to book bus journey
to Trinidad. He kept turning 180 degrees to behind to talk to us, making
us skip our heart beat each time. Somehow (without any English), this
guy made sure he understood our complete itinerary and was present to
drop us to bus stop to go to Trinidad and also to pick us up two days
later when we returned to Havana. He kept showing Darshan every time we
saw a girl on the road, repeating ‘Cubano chica loca!’ (Cuban girls are
crazy!). Overly talkative uncle
Next day, we booked a stylish, exotic vintage car ‘Oldsmobile’ (1951
model) to go around the city. We suspected that this tour was the
driving test for the driver! He was really slow and our guide kept on
instructing him. We chatted a lot with the guide, who showed us around
the beautiful Hemingway casa and John Lennon Park – A park with a
sitting statue of John Lennon on one of the benches! I really felt this
place was overhyped.. Well, maybe not for the true fans!
Hemingway Casa was a beautiful American style huge house on a hill
with a spectacular view of the lush green city. I imagined Hemingway
sitting at his desk writing the ‘Old man and the sea’, going fishing
with his kids and tending to his cats in the adjacent tower. Hemingway StudyView from Backyard
Talking to the guide, I realized that, even if the visitors enjoy the
old world feel of Cuba, the Cubans are definitely awaiting the change
and excited about everything that the modern world has to offer, from
latest, high speed cars to modern architecture and junk food chain
restaurants.
The first thing our guide spoke about upon learning we are from India
was ‘Gandhi’. He seemed like a well informed man as he knew about
Indira and Rajiv Gandhis and the fact that they all shared the fate of
being assassinated at some point. However, the best part is, he
naturally believed that all the Gandhi’s are related to each other. The
power of surname seems to have worked across the globe in associating
the whole of Gandhi clan and helped to en cash the fame of Mahatma
Gandhi for others. Trinidad (A small town in Cuba – Spanish colonial town & UNESCO World Heritage Site)
We left for Trinidad in the afternoon. The ‘Viazul’ bus was
comfortable and on-time. It took us about 5 hours to reach including the
short loo break on the way. Toilet is one big problem in Cuba. Toilet
seat seemed like an alien concept and mostly there was no water or
tissues in any of the public toilets. I really hope this will improve
once the Americans start pouring in.
Trinidad was refreshingly different than Havana. It has a dreamy
landscape with mountains on three sides and sea on the fourth (Although,
the actual coast is about 10kms from Trinidad town). The town itself
reminded me of konkan with abundance of mango/cashew/guava trees and
sloped tiled roof houses; however it is exponentially beautiful due to
the Spanish colonial architecture and the labyrinth of cobbled lanes.
This day being the Easter evening the main town square was full of
people and the cathedral was decorated. Trinidad had a calming effect on
me unlike Havana as the weather was amazing with nice breeze and there
was an atmosphere of enthusiasm with the mix of travelers and the locals
gathered for the Easter eve procession.
The central park of Trinidad was packed with locals in their Sunday
best clothes and I was shocked to see the casual abundance of tobacco.
The number of teenagers/adults alike irrespective of their gender smoke
all the time. The rate of smoking is really low in Latinos overall, so
this came as a surprise.
The Casa was really pretty with a terrace surrounded by mangoes. Our
host was nice and the breakfast she served was heavenly. All the Casas
serve a more or less standard menu of fresh fruits (Bananas, guava,
watermelon, papaya), juice, Cheese and ham sandwich, Eggs and bread
butter with delicious Cuban Coffee. However, Lezemenia (Our host) took
it to another level by serving fresh bread coupled with homemade fresh
mango juice on the terrace.
Next day, we spent the first half just walking around the town,
visiting few art galleries, old colonial house turned into museum and
other site seeing places.
Darshan proposed an excellent idea to rent bicycles and go to the
beach. The famous beach nearby is ‘Playa Ancon’, about 14kms from the
town. We made this ambitious plan of going to the beach and left in the
scorching heat (without any water) at about 3PM. After losing our way to
take a small detour, about an hour later we were really drained. At
this point, Darshan realized the seat of the cycle was too small for him
and decided to just walk and I on the other hand was determined not to
stop till I find water. Luckily, after another half an hour, (when I saw
the board of Playa Ancon, 2kms) I saw a small structure at the other
side of the road and a woman smiling and waving to me. Barbarita seemed
like an angel who gave me cold water (Not bottled!) to drink first and
also offered me a mango which I happily hogged on. She was very
talkative and like a typical woman told me about all her children and
asked about my age and marital status etc details. After about 15-20
mins when I still couldn’t see the sign of Darshan, her son Yocel,
readily volunteered to check on my amigo and soon got back with Darshan
trailing him panting with the bicycle.
Yocel and Barbarita told us the actual beach is about 4 kms far and
suggested showing us another place where one can swim. He took us to a
spot popular in locals, away from the tourist crowd of Playa ancon,
where one could take a dip in the huge Caribbean swimming pool. As we
reached there, it started raining and the sea became somewhat turbulent
losing its usual tranquility. As usual, I immediately jumped in the
water while Darshan decided to just rest outside and observe the chicas!
I felt rejuvenated by the swim and the rain. As we rode through the
countryside the smell of earth after rain along with the background of
sunset crafted a magical happiness in the air.
That night sitting on the terrace having cigar, I felt really peaceful after the long, tiring but thoroughly satisfying day. Back to Havana
The last day we traveled back to Havana in the Viazul bus. The only
issue I had with Viazul is, they made sure every traveler memorizes the
Spanish songs they play. They literally played the same 3 songs on
repeat for 5 hours!
We spent the afternoon having daiquiris at famous bar called ‘La
Floridita’ in Old Havana. This bar was frequented by Hemingway and was
his favourite. So they have a statue of Hemingway having a drink in one
corner. The drinks and music here was nice but definitely very expensive
for Cuba.
With a heavy heart we bid adieu to the land of Castro wondering how
much everything we saw will change in the coming few months once the
financial sanctions are lifted. I thought of what communism has achieved
here and how will they continue to control certain things if they have
to economically survive and prosper in the world of consumerism.
I got on the flight to Panama from Mumbai thinking it’s time to
make the most of last few months in Panama. I started making a mental
note of all the holidays that I can get and all the places that I want o
to visit. I think spending time planning trips is the best possible use
of the mind numbing long hours on the flight.
I calculated the first opportunity will be Carnival in Panama and I
decided to go to Belize based on three things- internet said Indian
passport holders with US visa can enter without separate visa, it’s the
only English speaking country in Central America (As it was the only
British colony and it still has the Queen as head of state!) and third,
it’s exceptionally beautiful!! 13th February – Caught an early morning
flight and after a brief stopover at El Salvador, reached Belize City at
10AM. As the flight descended at Belize City, I searched for some sign
of city and could only see sparkling blue water and lush green trees.
This was very intriguing since Belize City is the most important City in
Belize (Although capital is another city called Belmopan).
As I entered the immigration officer counter, she looked at my
passport and inquired with a smile, “where is the Belize visa?” I
replied with full confidence (mainly because I was ecstatic that she
understood and spoke perfect English!) showed her US visa and said I
know I am allowed to enter based on it. She politely asked me to step
aside and the whole drama started. A very stern and rude immigration
officer told us, we need to go back as we don’t have Belize visa! She
refused to explain any further or to return our passport and pretended
to forget we are there. After spending an hour in trying to talk to her
she came back with a copy of some visa form which we duly filled and
told her we needed a multiple entry visa since we had planned to go to
Guatemala and come back to Belize. She refused us outright and said I am
not here to promote going to Guatemala! We finally entered the country
after spending ~2 hours in the airport and paid $50 each for on arrival
single entry visa. Caye Caulker
After a short water taxi ride (about an hour), we reached Caye
Caulker (Pronounced as Key Caulker) and checked into the Yuma’s house.
The first look of blue/green waters and a Belikin beer pint (National
beer of Belize) made us completely forget the hassles on airport. The
hostel is well managed, clean and is right on the shore. We shared the
dorm with two Australian girls, both excellent divers who were on their
for a 3 month long Latin America backpacking trip.
It’s a beautiful small island (5 miles by 1 mile) with white sand,
mostly wooden houses and a lot of restaurants/hotels/tour company
offices. No cars are allowed on the island and there were more tourists
than locals. After having a sumptuous meal (blackened barracuda with
pasta J) with Caribbean rum punch and exploring the village, I decided
it was time for a dip in the water. The shades of blue & green are
soothing to the eyes and all the stress was relieved by that one swim
followed by a nap on a hammock. 14th Feb: Next day somehow I woke up
really early and witnessed one of the best sunrises of my life. It was
majestic. The peace and happiness I felt cannot be put into words.
That whole day seemed magical. We were four of us for the tour (a
couple from France, Mahogan and her boyfriend), Darshan and I. The tour
included three snorkeling spots. The first was ‘Hol Chan Marine
Reserve’. We spent some time getting acquainted with our snorkeling gear
and before I could take in the beauty of underwater world with corals
and colorful fishes our guide indicated us to follow and I spotted a
huge turtle flapping towards me. There were 3-4 different turtles and we
kept following them as they swam up to breathe and again swam down to
the bottom (~10 feet deep). Suddenly, Mahogan tapped me and pointed her
finger in opposite direction and there was a huge sting ray quietly
perched on the sea bed. After spending about an hour here we moved on.
As we reached our second spot (Shark Ray alley) for snorkeling, our
guide started throwing small fishes that he had got and we were
surprised by the flock of huge fishes swarming for scrap. These were
nurse sharks about 4 to 6 feet in length. Nurse sharks are docile
version of sharks and they do not attack. However, our guide cautioned
us not touch them as they might bite. It was thrilling to get into the
water to get a closer look of sharks and we found out that there were
several sting rays here. I was a little afraid of swimming around sharks
and sting rays and I felt a dread when I heard Mahogan shrieking as a
sting ray approached her flapping.
The third and last spot for the day was a peaceful coral garden. I
was totally accustomed to using my snorkeling apparatus by then and it
was mesmerizing to immerse in the beauty of various forms of colorful
corals and so many different types of fishes. I fell in love with one
tiny shiny black fish with sparkling blue spots. That night I dreamt of
being a girl who lived under water! (yes, like a mermaid.. :p) San Ignacio
We bid adieu to the slow paced, peaceful island with a heavy heart
and set out for the next destinations after the long snorkeling day.
Caught a local bus from Belize City and after traveling through the
capital ‘Belmopan’ reached San Ignacio, another important town (due to
tourist influx) at around 8PM. We were surprised when we arrived in
Belize City to see so little ‘development’ in the city. Situation was no
different in Belmopan. San Ignacio is even smaller town with just one
newly built park as city center with fountains and restaurants around.
Rest of the town is spread around the hilly region with most wooden
houses built on stilts. Belize astonished me with its ethnic diversity
as well. Most Belizeans are multiracial descents with mixture of Maya
and European origin. There is a huge population of Afro-Amerindians
called Garifuna (blacks), especially in countryside. I was surprised to
come across many Indians/Bangladeshis/Pakistanis who have settled in
Belize and run many shops and restaurants.
We checked in our hostel Bella’s Backpackers and were welcomed by the
helpful manager Natasha. We stayed here for rest of our time in Belize
as we had to change our original plans of visiting Guatemala. Bella’s
was not a well managed hostel and we bed bugs found on the last day gave
me a big scare. However, to make up for it, Natasha was very helpful
and we met some amazing travelers from all over the world here. 15th Feb: This hostel was more like a
house with a tiny terrace equipped with hammock, sofa etc to gather
around and chat with others. We decided to tag along Steve (an uptight
Welsh man, retired after working for 20 years and travelling for last 13
months across Americas) who planned to visit ‘Cahal Pech’, Mayan ruins
site that day.
Some information about Maya Civilization:The Maya is
a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for Maya script, the only known
fully developed writing system of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as
for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems.
Initially established during the Pre-Classic period (c. 2000 BC to AD
250), according to the Mesoamerican chronology, many Maya cities reached
their highest state of development during the Classic period (c. AD 250
to 900), and continued throughout the Post-Classic period until
the arrival of the Spanish.
Cahal Pech is a relatively small site which is right inside the city and we reached there after a small walk (~30 mins). Wiki Info of Cahal Pech: The site was a
palatial, hilltop home for an elite Maya family, and though most major
construction dates to the Classic period, evidence of continuous
habitation has been dated to as far back as 1200 BCE during the Early
Middle Formative period (Early Middle Preclassic), making Cahal Pech one
of the oldest recognizably Maya sites in Western Belize
We headed for a better known tourist attraction and an archeological
Mayan site ‘Xunantinich’ from here. ‘Xunantinich’ means ‘stone lady’ in
the Maya language and the name is given due to the legend of a ghost of a
woman inhabiting the site who appears below the main pyramid and
disappears in the stone wall according to many villagers. This site was a
civic ceremonial center and its importance is apparent as when the
region was at its peak, nearly 200,000 people lived in Belize.
One needs to cross a small river on a ferry and walk up a hill (~30
mins) to reach the site. The site contains various plazas surrounded by
temples and palaces. The view from the highest pyramid known as ‘El
Castillo’ (~130 feet, Castillo means Castle) is breathtaking.
‘Xunantinich’ is almost at the border of Guatemala and one can see the
Guatemalan border and town from the top at one side and just forests and
mountains of the other. I couldn’t help thinking if someone erected
glass/concrete towers anywhere in the view, how badly it would ruin the
whole beauty. 16th Feb: We booked a full day tour with
PACZ tours (a reputed company) to Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves. To
visit the caves, one has to go with a certified guide (and it’s
expensive – ~$95pp) however, it turned out to be a one of a kind
experience due to the uniqueness of this cave. The tour company warned
us to get dressed for an adventure and be prepared to get wet. The tour
starts with ~45 mins hike in a tropical Jungle. On the way, we had to
cross the river three times and at one occasion, the water was up to my
waist. Till then, it was too easy and I started thinking all the talk of
adventure and getting wet was just a fuss. After crossing the river
third time, there comes a turn and suddenly I saw a huge hourglass
shaped entrance of the cave. What is more shocking is, the entrance is
blocked by blue water that’s flowing outside from the cave. Equipped
with helmet and headlight, I prepared to start the actual adventure,
realizing how I was to judge too soon. A small swim we reached the rock
shelf and started our march inside by following the instructions of our
expert guide and getting our eyesight adjusted to the only light of our
headlamp inside the completely dark, wet cave. The journey to reach the
main core of the cave where Mayan artifacts and remains are found takes
about an hour and includes many sharp & slippery edges, water depth
alternates from just covering your toes to portions where only the
tallest won’t need to swim. On the way, we came across beautiful
formations of stalagmites & stalactites and learned about Mayan
beliefs and culture. Our guide was very informative and passionate about
the Maya history and stories. I imagined how they would enter this cave
all those years back with large pots of food and other things as
offerings equipped with only fire torches, prepared for a sacred journey
to offer sacrifices, call upon their Gods and connect with spirits of
their ancestors. Occasionally our guide would ask us to shut all the
lights and feel the complete darkness. He would move the torch to
replicate the effect of fire torch that creates frightening play of
shadows. The stalagmites/stalactites take millions of years to grow
(about 100 years to grow by 1 inch) and so it’s amazing to think that
the cave looked almost exactly same when the Mayans entered it. In some
places the cave formations are modified by Mayans to project shadows of
their deities or create a silhouette of faces or animals.
Then starts ascend above the river surface and we had to remove our
shoes from there on as there are many Mayan artifacts, mainly parts of
ceramic vessels are calcified in the cave floor. We heard more stories
and different theories behind designs and positions etc of the artifacts
as we reached the first human skull. It is believed as Mayans used to
perform human sacrifices inside the cave and there are total 14
different individuals identified here that includes very young children
to adults. Ascend consists of a few rock patches with the final climb of
aluminum ladder mounted on a sheer rock face. At the top is a single
complete skeleton of a young girl that is calcified to the cave floor.
The journey back to sunshine was equally thrilling with our guide
choosing different paths. All in all, it was a most memorable
experience.
Unfortunately, sometime back some stupid guy dropped his camera to
break one of the skulls in the cave and hence no cameras are allowed on
this tour. Here are some Google images: 17th Feb: Caught an early morning bus to
Belize City and took a flight to San Salvador where we had a stopover of
about 7 hours. Booking a taxi to go around the city to visit most
popular destinations is very common in San Salvador and we found that
cabs hired from airport are very expensive. Luckily we met a guy and
girl (also just friends!) both from Panama and we all set out together.
San Salvador is a pretty city set out in a hilly region. We stopped for
lunch in a restaurant with excellent location on the hill overlooking
the city on our way to Boqueron volcano crater. We had a mouthwatering
local dish ‘Pupusa’ along with some machilada beer (Some mix of salt and
lemon and spices added to the beer).
The volcano crater is about 6000 feet above sea level. The view from
the top is remarkable especially due to the perfect round shape of the
valley and the small crater at the center.
On our way back we entered a crowded old city (supposedly dangerous)
and reached ‘Iglesia del Rosario’. This church looks just like a cement
arch from outside and is unimpressive. However the church is very unique
and beautiful from inside. It’s a very rare non-colonial modern
structure with rainbow of colored glass across the arch. The statues and
other metal figures inside the church are also non-traditional.
On the way back home, I kept thinking about Belize, the beautiful
landscape and simple, straightforward people without any hurry in life. I
feel highly inspired to travel the globe and started thinking seriously
of taking a long break just to travel!
I feel totally at a loss. This book grips you, your mind, brain
everything gets lost in the deep forests that breathe in their own
world. It’s an enthralling page turner cluttered with tons of riddles.
It’s absurd, full of weird situations and unbelievable turn of events.
All the characters are somewhat unusual with very complex relationship
with each other, one that you never really understand. However, what
stood out most and gripped my mind completely was his words. He talks
about sandstorms, memories, shrines, love, music, sound of silence,
books, half shadows and blood. About the storm that’s inside you, about
giving in and emerging as a changed person. And about the
responsibilities that begin in dreams. But behind these unfathomable
concepts lies a commentary on life and almost everything that it can
mean to a person. It questions the idea of self and at the same time it
also talks about what happens after death. He comments on the
widespread societal issues at the same time he deals with the delicate
internal struggles we go through every day.
It is all encompassing and hence deeply unsettling. Everything about
the book is about understanding there is no one way to salvation, there
is no one thing that every person seeks. Ultimately, the only thing that
you achieve after going through all that is you think. You think till
your head hurts. But you feel glad about it. I feel like I have stepped
up in some way. It’s like being evolved.
Some of my most favourite quotes: “Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing
directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn
again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some
ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm
isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing
to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you
can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes
and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through
it, step by step. There’s no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense
of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized
bones. That’s the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine. And you really will have to make it through that violent,
metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it
might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a
thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too.
Hot, red blood. You’ll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood
and the blood of others. And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it
through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact,
whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you
come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s
what this storm’s all about.” “Every one of us is losing something precious to us. Lost
opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again.
That’s part of what it means to be alive.” “Narrow minds devoid of imagination. Intolerance, theories cut
off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems.
Those are the things that really frighten me. What I absolutely fear
and loathe.” “If you think God’s there, He is. If you don’t, He isn’t. And if that’s what God’s like, I wouldn’t worry about it.” “I’m free, I think. I shut my eyes and think hard and deep about
how free I am, but I can’t really understand what it means. All I know
is I’m totally alone. All alone in an unfamiliar place, like some
solitary explorer who’s lost his compass and his map. Is this what it
means to be free? I don’t know, and I give up thinking about it.” “Perhaps most people in the world aren’t trying to be free,
Kafka. They just think they are. It’s all an illusion. If they really
were set free, most people would be in a real pickle. You’d better
remember that. People actually prefer not being free” “As long as there’s such a thing as time, everybody’s damaged in
the end, changed into something else. It always happens, sooner or
later.” “You’re afraid of imagination and even more afraid of dreams.
Afraid of the responsibility that begins in dreams. But you have to
sleep and dreams are a part of sleep. When you’re awake you can suppress
imagination but you can’t suppress dreams.” “He felt as if his heart had dried up. I needed her he thought. I
needed someone like her to fill the void inside me. But I wasn’t able
to fill the void inside her. Until the bitter end, the emptiness inside
her was hers alone.”
I try to start my computer. It takes too long. It’s as if it’s a
real person I am trying to wake up from sleep. It goes all disoriented.
Looking everywhere for clues and not really understanding what I am
trying to say. I am in hurry cause I just want to pen down these
thoughts.. these feelings.. and I am scared. I guess when you are scared
everything seems very urgent. but it is urgent! Its following me.. all
the time. It’s everywhere. So uncertain, completely unpredictable. Not
that I actually believe in predictions. In my opinion probability is one
concept that screws a person the most. What’s the point of it anyway?
What you don’t know you don’t know, that’s it. You just have to accept
it.
Each and every moment is a threat. Time is a threat. Not the time
that clock shows. Just time. Time as an abstract but at the same time
the most tangible, the most comprehensible concept. It never stops and
it uses that one point in time to strike. Anyone it wants. It’s not so
scary in itself but the nothingness that follows is what is scary.
That’s what makes you think and question about everything you know. ‘The
meaning’ suddenly becomes the most important question. There are no
answers. You think about why? Who? How? When? And there are just no
answers. It’s all a game of wait and watch. Just hang on there till you
can (and even when you can’t) and wait for it. Just wait for it to
choose you. You cry, you try to reason it, blame it on someone,
something. But deep inside you know, you know it too well that any
analysis is useless. You know that there are no answers and there never
will be. You just have to accept this and wait. Wait for your time to
come..
I was sleeping
Rather I was trying to sleep
Dwelling upon the way out of the maze
I am not inside it
But I can see her there..
Clueless, direction less, struggling..
At the centre of the maze
Sometimes walking, sometimes running..falling occasionally
Trying to find the way hopelessly in the labyrinth
I pity her
I say
Look at me
All sorted
Peaceful
And free
She smiles
I can’t tolerate that smile
I try to escape her gaze
A blackout
The world rotates and I can feel myself pulled inside her
She is roaring with laughter now
I feel foolish
And betrayed
Clueless, direction less and struggling..
Inside the maze, a puzzle, a trap..
Travelling is exciting, liberating, educating and most importantly,
it offers redemption. To quote one of a tourist we met, “I believe that
if you travel enough, there is no need of education!”
This trip was full of unexpected events. Right from the moment we saw
Shailesh on the Bangkok airport (he gave us a surprise!) on 30th June’2012, till the last moment when I collapsed on the flight and we had to un-board the flight on 15th July.
Here are some of the best experiences of this trip (both good and bad!) Euro league final (1st July, Bangkok – Khao San Road)
Ecstasy, a word that defines the feelings of the day. We spent the
evening on a roadside pub (open air, on the street) listening to live
melodious songs accompanied by guitar along with a beer. As we sat there
singing, a lot of people from different countries joined us on the
table (to name a few, one dutch girl Marloes, a dutch guy Nick, an old
Scottish man and an NRI gujju girl from London Rajvi). Having lived in
Mumbai throughout my life I was quite amazed at the diversity of the
group.
The atmosphere was already thrilled in anticipation of the match with
loads of España fans wearing jerseys and carrying their flags were
wandering in the lanes. As the time for match (1.40AM) neared, one could
feel the elevated spirits (as blood: alcohol ratio started to drop
down.. :p) and the excitement mounting. We watched a group of street
dancers performing mind boggling stunts in the middle of the road,
awe-struck by their ease and expertise (I had always watched such a
dance in movies like ‘Step up’ and had never thought I will see them
performing live so unexpectedly). People slowly gathered in various
roadside bars where match was displayed on big screens. The adrenaline
rush during the match and the jubilant procession that followed the
victory of Spain cannot be put into words. If I have to give an analogy,
atmosphere was similar to that in Shivaji Park on the eve India won the
Cricket world cup. Nick and Shailesh with the crowd watching match at Khao San Road (Bangkok)Angkor Wat (2nd and 3rd July – Cambodia, Siem Reap)
An UNESCO World Heritage Site, the largest Khmer temple complex in the world. ‘Angkor’ means ‘rajdhani/nagar’
and Wat means temple complex. Stretching over some 400 km2, including
forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent
remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to
the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at
Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations.
Bayon temple is unique with its huge carved faces. This place is a
treat for photographers with huge stone structures on the background of
clear, pretty skyline and dense green, tropical forest. The play of
light and shadows created in various spaces is mesmerizing. The stories
of Ramayana and of other historical events (like war against thai people
etc.) are carved on the walls of temples. The massive trees grown on
top of the old temple of a Ta Prohm that was used as a location in the
film Tomb Raider (thus now known as ‘Tomb Raider temple’) are truly magnificent. Angkor watBayon templeTomb Raider temple (Ta Prohm)
However beautiful the place is, what we experience always depends on
the kind of people we meet there. Angkor Wat was beautiful but it became
memorable because of two people, our tuktuk driver Nol and guide Kimsim
Hour (pronounced as Huer). Hour with his sweet smile and excellent
knowledge about Angkor wat and Cambodia in general helped us understand
the Cambodian people a bit. Cambodian history is full of devils of
colonization (French colonies), communist influence, and the rise of
Khmer Rouge (brutal maoist forces in Cambodia) on the onset of Vietnam
War that extended in to Cambodia, ultimately giving rise to Civil war
that lasted for more than a decade. The scars of this bloodied past are
still evident and they are still fighting the repercussions of the civil
war, such as extreme poverty and poor health conditions (various
diseases along with HIV is widespread in Cambodia. The common site of
prostitutes along the streets and abundance of child labor is really
distressing. Nol and Hour with the deadly ‘tuktuk’SihanoukVille – Beautiful beaches, a dream island, some crisis situations and an epic party at ‘Dolphin Shack!’ (5th and 6th July – South Cambodia)
White sand, a beach lined by palm trees, shacks, sunbathing ‘gore’
who had to disperse occasionally coz of rain showers and a dip in the
blue water waves.. I think all this more or less summarizes what bliss
the ‘Otres beach’ was! Good music, multinational crowd of all crazy,
party animals made the party at ‘Dolphin Shack’ truly epic. All this
coupled with the ride on the geared scooters we hired made the whole
experience much better than our all time favorite, Goa! J (no offense to
Goa, it will always be our most favorite place on earth!) Otres Beach in Sihanoukville
The people in Cambodia eat anything and everything living (apart from
humans, thankfully!). We tried things like snake, work, cricket, bug
etc. I really hope nobody on this earth should be so deprived of food
that they have to resort to eating such things. It was a memorable
experience but disturbing at the same time. The platter!Worms, Crickets, bugs anyone?
Next day started with a pleasant weather and a nice boat ride to an
island near Cambodia. We were told that the journey will take about an
hour. I and Sneha were sitting in the front of boat looking at waves,
enjoying the scenery and laughing at Shailesh who immediately felt
seasick. After an hour or so, even we started feeling nauseous as the
sea grew more and more aggressive, making us feel like we were in a raft
rather than a motored boat. By the end of two hours my body gave up
completely and I threw up looking hopeless as we passed another island
without any sign of going ashore. Then, we stopped in the middle of sea
and were told that we can snorkel in that area. I decided not to jump in
the sea once we learnt that the water current was pretty strong there.
Sneha, Shridhar and Shailesh jumped and immediately decided to return
aboard. The crew on the boat was either completely dumb or plainly rude
but due to their ignorance both Sneha and Shailesh along with some other
tourists got cuts by the rusted iron at the bottom of the boat as they
tried to get aboard from the wrong side of the boat.
Finally we landed on an island that looked better than the one in
‘Kaho na pyar hai’, feeling somewhat elated. We had an excellent grilled
fish that elevated our mood further and we started enjoying the
gorgeous landscape of this Bamboo Island. Just when I finally thought I
had recovered from my seasickness and should go to take a dip in the
shining water, Shridhar while playing volleyball got his leg cut by an
anchor. The wound looked quite deep and we realized this was one of a
cursed day of our trip. Although the situation was managed as we went to
decent hospital (shown by a friend, a cheerful travel agent Mr. Kim)
where all three of them got a Tetanus injection and to our relief
Shridhar did not get stitches, I still regret not swimming or taking a
stroll in the beautiful forest of that island. The ‘Bamboo Island’ in SihanoukVilleHo Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta and unforgettable Cu Chi Caves (Vietnam – 8th & 9th July)
The journey from SihanoukVille to Ho Chi Minh City (by a night bus)
was very much uncomfortable and boring. In a retrospect, I think it
symbolized the change from extremely friendly, smiling land of Cambodia
to somewhat reserved, stern land of Vietnam.
A crowded small alley full of hotels, food stalls, guesthouses, open
butcher shops, children, a thousand smells and many tourists is what
marks the Pham Ngu Lao street in Saigon where we stayed.
Mekong delta was a one day tour to floating market (it’s a wholesale
market where various fruits and vegetables are sold on boats). We also
saw how they make pop rice, coconut candy and various rice items. It was
funny to see four American boys eating a cake made of pop rice with so
much louuve and admiration. They believed in ‘fukat te paushtik’ and
finished a kettle of tasteless green tea given. :p Overall, a very
ordinary day with typical touristy experience. Mekong Delta tourCu Chi Tunnels:
A quote from a T-shirt: “In 1976, U.S. could wipe out any army on the face of the earth… but not below it!”
The conflict between Communists (North Vietnam) in Vietnam supported
by its communist allies (alike Russia) and anti communist forces
(Government of South Vietnam) supported by US resulted in a destructive
war that lasted for over 20 years and resulted in loss of a whole
generation in Vietnam. The mystery of, how a tiny country like Vietnam
with its brave but undersized ‘guerillas’ force, fought and forced a
giant like US to surrender, is unfolded in the small, dingy network of
Cu Chi tunnels. Guerillas lived in this underground network of tunnels
for over twenty years, coming out only in the night. They had built a
temporary city below the earth with ingenious planning by making
provisions for all the necessary human needs, from oxygen for breathing,
to hospitals and entertainment areas as well.
The moment one crawls inside those dark tunnels, the incredibility of
staying in such a place for hours, let alone years grasps one’s senses
and the whole history of people living in Cu Chi tunnels seems
implausible. Entering hidden tunnelMui ne beach – A peaceful, lazy time! (10th July)
We spent almost the whole day lazing in the bed, chatting and having a
peaceful time enjoying luxury. It was raining constantly; the place was
kind of dead, full of crazy groups of Russians which made us feeling
happy to be ourselves sitting along the sea face. The only remarkable
event of the day was the dinner that consisted of an assortment of
seafood, like different shells, mussels, oyster, octopus, frog etc.
here. We felt a bit sad, as it was a last day of Shailesh with us (he
was leaving next day) and more than half of the trip was already over. Hanoi – the capital city & Serene Halong Bay (12th & 13th July)
Hanoi is a pretty city full of rich Vietnamese people. Every evening,
they leave their places well dressed (actually overdressed, the fashion
sense here is about a decade ahead of us) go to one of the thousands of
street shops selling some drinks (lemonade, coffee, beer is standard)
equipped with tiny stools to sit on footpaths, along with sunflower
seeds. As we sat in one of such shops looking over the hubbub we spotted
a group of fashionable youngsters sitting next to us. At the first
look, it looked like a usual group of friends, all well dressed,
laughing and making conversations. On a closer look we realized that
each one of them were deaf and dumb. We were awestruck at the ease and
jovial bonding of this group. We kept on observing them for a long time.
Why do we never see such a thing in India? Is wealth the main reason?
Or there is some problem with our mentality and attitude towards
invalids? Busy city square in HanoiHalong bay:
It was the most luxurious excursion in the whole trip. We had an
enthusiastic guide Mr. Tan and our tour group consisted of two French
guys, a man with a shy son from San Francisco, a couple with Chinese
athlete woman and a German man, Israeli man, two Irish gals and a
Vietnami kids group. Even after meeting so many tourists from various
countries I couldn’t stop feeling amazed at the diversity of the group.
We visited massive & pretty ‘surprising caves’. We also did kayaking
and swimming in the Titov Island (crowded with too many visitors). It
felt like we were in some fantasy land with so much beauty around. We
had some interesting discussions about France, their people and policies
with Lui and William in the peaceful atmosphere with a good wine. J The serene ‘Halong bay’ ‘Surprising Caves’ in halong bayWE Bangkok (14th July night)
On 14th night we reached a hostel called ‘WE bangkok’ in
Bangkok at night. An excellent hostel, superbly managed, it’s a role
model for the hostel we are going to open in India. Bangkok is a
cosmopolitan city of great nightlife and never ending experiences. So
many people, so many cultures, so many opinions, so many angles and so
many perspectives! The life is flowing and there are never ending
opportunities of living and being happy! Back to Mumbai (15th July)
We woke early morning on 15th with a determination to
visit the Grand Palace that we had missed earlier. At a lightning speed
we saw the Palace and travelled to airport by changing trains twice. We
boarded the flight with a heavy heart, thinking about Mumbai, work and
all other stressful things that we were going to face from next day.
Cherishing the memories of this wonderful trip we took our seats and
immediately slept off exhausted, with the plan of directly getting up at
Mumbai airport. The flight started a run up; suddenly I woke up and
realized something was wrong with me. Then, I blacked out and collapsed
all of a sudden. I can never forget that moment… I want to thank the doctor on the flight that checked me and instructed to stop the flight. I want to thank the Captain Chetan Patel who warned us against
the danger I can get in, in case I had taken any kind of drugs.
(Although he ended up scaring a shit out of us, I thank him for his good
intentions). I want to thank the doctor who took me to his clinic in ambulance
and assured me I just had a low Blood pressure and everything was
alright. I want to thank the guy who took me around the airport on the wheelchair to complete all the formalities …and I thank God for having my best friends with me who took so much care of me. Without them I couldn’t have managed it! Our Itinerary and some useful information:
30 June: Reached Bangkok airport by 1.30. Took an
Airport link train to Phaya Thai station and then taxi, reached Niras
Bangkok hostel around 5pm (400 baht pp)
1 July: Sightseeing in Bangkok (few Buddha’s), Party and massage at Khao San road
2 July: Train to Aranyaprathet at 1pm. Reached at
around 6.15. Tuktuk to border (25 baht each) After border crossing
reached Poipet by 7.30. Taxi to Siem Reap (40 dollar for cab). Reached
hotel ‘Angkor friendship inn’ by 11 (6 dollar pp)
3 July: Angkor Wat. Excellent guide, Kimsim hour. Tuktuk driver Nol. (10 dollar for driver,20 dollar for guide)
4 July: Angkor Wat. (15 $ for driver, 20 $ for
guide). Left for Sihanoukville, night bus at 8pm, $18 each sleeping bus
Virak Buntham express.
5 July: Reached at 6am. Stayed near Occhuteal beach
(also known as serendipity) Utopia mixed dorm ($2.5 each). Booked tours
from Mr. Kim, Cool Banana travels. Nice, helpful chap. Shailesh got
visa for Vietnam in 15 mins for $47 (less than what it cost in Mumbai)
although he was told they don’t normally issue visa for indians there.
Bike hired ($7 dollar for 2 bikes 1 day, petrol 5000 riel/ltr
6 July: A day tour to islands nearby. 7pm bus to Ho
chi minh,$17.5 each (was told to be sleeping but turned out to be
sitting). Changed bus at Phnom Pehn. Again Virak buntham bus. Border
crossing at abt 7.30. Reached HCMC by 10 (pham gulao road). Stayed in
Mai guest house ($5 each). Very nice service.
7 July: Sightseeing in city. Bantham market, Notre dam cathedral.
8 July: Mekong delta full day tour ($15 each). Bad food.
9 July: Cu chi caves, half day tour ($5 each). Bus
to mui ne at 3pm ($6 each, tam hanh company). Reached at 9pm, Ocean
Valley hotel ($25 dollar per night for room, for 1 and half day we paid
$37.5)
10 July: Bus to HCMC at 1am ($6 Tam Hanh company).
11Jjuly: reached HCMC at 5am, again mai guest
house. Shailu left at 11, we caught flight to hanoi at 2. Reached at 4.
Bus (no. 7) to hanoi city. After waiting for bus and travel time,
reached hotel by 6.30 around. Ly quoc su road, sihn cafe tour Victor
hotel ($5 each)
12 and 13 july: Halong bay 2 day tour ($95 each
plus 6 dollar for visiting james bond cave on 2nd day). Elizabeth
travels company, good food (elaborate Vietnami food includes all weird
seafood. Back to hanoi by 5pm on 13th july. Same hotel, same price.
14 July: Sightseeing in Hanoi. Ho Chi Minh
mussoleum (body of Ho Chi Minh is kept, lot of security), Hoi Chi Minh
museum, 1000 year old one pillar pagoda (not worth) and temple of
literature. Flight to bangkok at 5. Reached airport by 7 then took
airport rail link and then BTS rail line. WE bangkok at around 10
(prebooked, 300 baht per head mixed dorm)
